YouTube Rolls Out New Parental Control Updates to Limit Children’s Exposure to Short-Form Videos
YouTube, owned by Google, has announced a new set of updates aimed at strengthening parental control tools, amid growing global concerns over the impact of short-form videos on children and teenagers and the risk of excessive usage that may lead to digital addiction.
Under the new updates, parents can now set a daily time limit for their children’s viewing of YouTube Shorts, a move designed to curb endless scrolling and unconscious content consumption. The update comes as short-form video content continues to surge in popularity, competing directly with platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels.
YouTube has also introduced an option allowing parents to block Shorts entirely, either permanently or for specific periods, giving families greater flexibility in managing their children’s platform usage—particularly in cases where parents prefer to limit viewing to educational or academic content only.
The updates further include custom bedtime reminders and “Take a Break” notifications that encourage users to pause viewing after a set period. These features are available not only for children but also for adults, as part of YouTube’s broader effort to promote balanced and healthy platform usage.
In a related move, YouTube acknowledged that some families experience difficulties switching between parent and child accounts within the app, which can affect content recommendations. The company confirmed it is working on improving the sign-in experience to allow smoother account switching with fewer steps in the near future.
These updates form part of YouTube’s wider strategy to enhance teen safety, which includes monitoring channel activity when teenagers create content, as well as using age-estimation technologies to deliver more age-appropriate experiences.
With these measures, YouTube aims to strike a balance between the appeal and rapid consumption of short-form content and the growing demand from families to regulate screen time and protect children from excessive digital exposure.