YouTube has come up with a new feature that allows users to stop seeing Shorts by setting their daily viewing limit to zero minutes. In simple terms, if you don’t want to watch Shorts, the app will stop recommending them and limit access to the feed. Interestingly, this feature was earlier limited to reducing Shorts usage, with a minimum limit of 15 minutes. Now, with the option to set the limit to zero, users can almost completely avoid short-form videos within the app. According to reports, the feature was first available under parental controls, but it is now being rolled out more widely to regular users on both Android and iOS.
It is part of YouTube’s existing “Time management” settings, which are designed to help people control how much time they spend on the platform.
Short cut
According to YouTube, when the viewing limit is reached, the Shorts feed stops showing videos and displays a message saying that the daily limit has been hit. If the limit is set to zero minutes, Shorts are effectively removed from the main browsing experience. This may also reduce or completely remove Shorts from the Home feed, making it less likely for users to come across them while scrolling. However, there is a catch. Shorts are not fully disabled across YouTube. Users can still access them through the Subscriptions tab or by opening individual Shorts directly through links or shared videos. This means the feature limits exposure rather than removing the format entirely. Overall, the update builds on YouTube’s broader effort to give users more control over their viewing habits, especially as short-form content continues to play a central role on the platform.
How to enable
The big question is how to enable this setting. To do this on YouTube, open the app and go to the Settings menu from your profile icon. There, inside Settings, tap on the “Time management” option, which includes tools to control your viewing habits. Look for the Shorts viewing limit feature and switch it on. Once enabled, you can choose how long you want to watch Shorts each day. To effectively turn off Shorts, set the daily limit to zero minutes. After this, the Shorts feed will stop appearing in your main browsing experience, helping you avoid short-form videos on the platform.