• New feature designed to reduce continuous short-video scrolling
• Option to fully disable “Shorts” via Time Management settings

YouTube has launched a new option that allows users to reduce or hide short-form “Shorts” videos from the app’s main feed, through a new setting that sets viewing time to “zero minutes,” effectively removing this type of content from the homepage.

According to the platform, the update aims to give users greater control over their browsing time and reduce so-called “endless scrolling,” by limiting reliance on short videos and encouraging focus on traditional long-form content.

A YouTube spokesperson said the feature is now gradually rolling out to all users, including standard adult accounts, after previously being available only within parental control tools.

Once the time limit is set to “zero minutes,” Shorts will no longer appear in the app, and users will instead see a message indicating they have reached their daily viewing limit.

The previous minimum limit for restricting Shorts was 15 minutes.

The update comes amid growing global debate over the impact of short-form content on users’ attention spans, particularly among children and teenagers, prompting YouTube earlier to expand parental controls and introduce options to fully or temporarily block Shorts.

Parents can also adjust the setting by going to “Time Management,” selecting “Daily Limit,” enabling the Shorts restriction option, and setting it to “0 minutes” to fully disable it.