YouTube will let parents limit how long teens can scroll Shorts: What's new

YouTube also said educational videos from trusted sources will be shown more often to teens, building on existing content rules for younger users and current safety measures for teen recommendations

YouTube has shared a set of updates that will allow parents to have more control over how teens use the platform. According to the YouTube blog, the changes focus on screen time limits, content quality and simpler account setup. With the update, parents can set time limits on watching YouTube Shorts and the company said that soon they could also block Shorts for a certain duration of time.

 

YouTube mentioned that the updates are based on feedback from parents and experts, who have raised concerns around mindful viewing, age-appropriate content and easier ways to manage accounts for different age groups.

YouTube’s parental control update: Details

New controls for viewing

 

One of the key changes is around short-form content. Parents can now set limits on the amount of time teens spend scrolling through YouTube Shorts. Soon, they will also be able to set this limit to zero if needed. This means parents can fully block Shorts during certain times, such as homework hours, and allow limited access during travel or free time.

 

YouTube is also adding more custom wellbeing tools for supervised teen accounts. Parents will be able to set ‘Bedtime’ and ‘Take a Break’ reminders, building on existing features that are already turned on by default for teens. 

 

Quality content for teens

 

YouTube is also introducing a new set of content principles that are aimed specifically at teen viewers. These guidelines are meant to help identify what counts as higher-quality and lower-quality content for this age group.

 

YouTube said that the principles were developed with input from youth advisors, academic researchers and child development experts. Based on these guidelines, YouTube plans to guide creators and also adjust its recommendation system. Educational and informative videos from sources like Khan Academy, CrashCourse and TED-Ed are expected to appear more often in teen recommendations. This builds on YouTube’s existing content rules for kids under 13 and the safety measures already in place for teen recommendations. 

 

Account setup for families

 

Another update focuses on simplifying how families manage accounts. YouTube already places teens under 18 into protected accounts. In the coming weeks, parents will be able to create kid accounts more easily and switch between accounts directly in the mobile app.

 

This change will allow parents to ensure that the right person is using the right account, with age-appropriate settings and recommendations, without going through a complicated setup process.