YouTube Parental Controls: How to Now Completely Block Shorts for Kids

YouTube has launched a major update to its parental supervision tools, aimed at fostering more thoughtful content consumption among teenagers. The key new feature is the ability to tightly restrict or completely block the viewing of Shorts in supervised accounts.

According to the platform's official blog, parents can now set a daily time limit for Shorts viewing—from 15 minutes to a total ban. This function, touted as an industry first, allows for flexible setup: for example, disabling Shorts during the school week and allowing an hour on weekends. Concurrently, all users aged 13-17 will have break reminders and bedtime reminders enabled by default. Parents will also be able to customize these settings.

YouTube also announced changes to how its recommendation system works for teen audiences. Algorithms will start more actively suggesting videos that experts categorize as "enriching" content, prioritizing educational videos. The principles and guidance for creators making content for teens were developed with the participation of YouTube's Youth Advisory Committee, the UCLA Center for Scholars & Storytellers, the American Psychological Association, and the Boston Children's Hospital Digital Wellness Lab.

In the coming weeks, the platform will simplify the process of registering and switching between accounts in the mobile app. This will make it faster to create kids' profiles linked to a parent's account and to switch them quickly depending on who is currently using the device.

These updates reflect the increasing attention digital platforms are paying to the digital wellbeing of young users. Previously, in December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce a legislative ban on social media use for people under 16, intensifying the global discussion about protecting children online.