There is now a way to completely block YouTube Shorts.

YouTube has just allowed users to set a 0-minute viewing limit for Shorts, helping them manage their time and the amount of content they consume each day.

Users can limit the total viewing time for Shorts. Image: PCMag .

On April 15th, YouTube officially rolled out the feature to set the Shorts viewing limit to 0 minutes for all users on Android and iOS. When this option is enabled, the Shorts tab will not display any videos and will disappear from the app's home screen.

"The option to reset the timer to zero is now available to all parents and is being rolled out to everyone," confirmed Makenzie Spiller, a YouTube spokesperson. This feature applies to regular adult accounts as well, not just managed child accounts.

This is an upgraded version of the Shorts timer, which first launched in October 2025. At that time, the minimum time allowed was 15 minutes. In January, YouTube expanded the feature to parents to help them control the amount of time their children spend watching Shorts. The company calls this the industry's first tool to give parents complete control over the content their children can access.

The launch of this feature is linked to increasing pressure from governments and child protection organizations for social media platforms to implement stronger time-based controls.

Greece has just passed a law banning children under 15 from using social media starting in 2027. Australia will ban children under 16 from the end of 2025. Meanwhile, the UK, France, and many other countries are also introducing similar legislation.

Technically, this feature differs from app-wide timers at the operating system level. Timers in Android's Digital Wellbeing or Apple's Screen Time block all YouTube content, including long videos, music, and study sessions. YouTube's Shorts timer, however, targets only short videos, allowing users to continue using other platform features without interruption. Google reports that Shorts has over 2 billion monthly users and billions of views daily.

To enable the feature, users go to settings in the YouTube app, select "time management," turn on the limit on the number of videos in Shorts, and choose the desired time limit. Once the limit is reached, the Shorts tab will only display a message indicating that the user has "reached the limit on the number of videos in Shorts."

YouTube says it will continue to add more content moderation and safety features in the future.

Source: https://znews.vn/youtube-shorts-bien-mat-post1643971.html