YouTube to let parents set time limits or block kids from watching Shorts

Parents can set viewing limits ranging from 15 minutes to two hours, and will soon be able to set the timer to zero

• YouTube lets parents set time limits or block kids from watching Shorts
• Parents can limit viewing from 15 minutes to 2 hours or block Shorts completely.
• YouTube adds custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders for kids' accounts

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YouTube on January 14 announced that it will allow parents to set time limits or entirely block their kids from watching Shorts as part of its efforts to ramp up parental controls on its platform.

Parents will be able to set viewing limits ranging from 15 minutes to two hours, and will soon be able to set the timer to zero. This builds on the time limit feature that YouTube introduced in October 2025. However, kids will not be able to change or disable these settings.

"This is an industry-first feature that puts parents firmly in control of the amount of short-form content their kids watch. This also gives parents flexibility," said Jennifer Flannery O'Connor, Vice President-Product Management, YouTube.

YouTube will also allow parents to set custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders, which are already available for adults, the company stated.

These updates come as social and video platforms face increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators globally over the online safety of kids and teens.

In the coming weeks, Google-owned YouTube stated that it will also introduce an improved sign-up experience that lets parents create a new kid account and easily switch between accounts in the mobile app depending on who's watching with a few taps.

"This makes it easier to ensure that everyone in the family is in the right viewing experience with the content settings and recommendations of age-appropriate content they actually want to watch," O'Connor said.

Last year, YouTube also introduced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered age estimation technology to identify users under the age of 18. The company has rolled out this feature in select countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and countries in the European Economic Area, with plans to expand to other countries in the future.