YouTube just gave parents the power to do something they’ve begged for, but it comes with a big limitation

YouTube is now giving parents a new tool they have wanted for a long time: the ability to limit or completely block the endless Shorts feed. This update is rolling out now and targets the fact that these short videos are made to be very addicting, especially for younger viewers.

According to Android Police, the main feature is a new Shorts feed limit that gives parents control to help their kids be more intentional about screen time. You can lock the Shorts feed completely, which is great for focus time, or you can allow your children up to two hours of daily viewing time. This feature offers flexibility because you can adjust the limit based on the situation.

For example, if your teen needs to focus on homework, you can quickly set the Shorts feed limit to zero. If you’re going on a long car trip and need entertainment, you can increase that time to sixty minutes without any trouble. This step toward better parental controls comes after years of concerns from users, especially those discussing the platform on community forums.

Parental controls are a necessary response to ongoing content safety failures

For a long time, sensitive content has been a major issue. Parents have worried about sponsored blocks featuring inappropriate material and bot profile pictures designed to mimic sexual content, often targeting children who are just trying to watch a harmless video.

YouTube realized it had to act, so it worked with parents and child development experts to figure out what was missing from the current platform. The company identified three main areas that needed immediate focus. First, they wanted to introduce controls that help teach kids how to consume content responsibly, giving parents options to make the right choice for their family situation.

Second, the platform recognized the need for age-appropriate content, requiring stricter policies and safeguards made for younger audiences. Finally, YouTube aimed to ensure the right experience for every age group by offering a simpler account setup process. 

This simpler setup includes built-in protections, making it easier for parents to guarantee their child is using the correct, supervised YouTube experience. The platform has been making several changes recently, including overhauling the entire search menu based on user feedback.

The company is also cleaning up its user interface for households that share devices, which helps multi-user households with teens who are constantly switching profiles. They are introducing a new streamlined account switcher interface.

This change makes it easier to jump between existing accounts on a single device and simplifies the process of creating a new supervised account from scratch. YouTube has also been working to add new search filters that users have requested for years.

These new updates show that the platform is finally listening to the community. While the problem of sensitive content won’t disappear overnight, giving parents adjustable controls over the most addictive part of the app is a huge win for family safety and intentional screen time. You can expect these features to start rolling out to your devices soon.