What to know

  • YouTube's Shorts Timer is a new feature that lets users set a daily viewing limit for short videos.
  • Once the limit is reached, the Shorts feed pauses and displays a reminder.
  • The feature is rolling out for mobile; parental controls are coming soon.
  • This update follows other YouTube tools to promote mindful and healthy digital habits.

YouTube has introduced a new feature that lets users set daily viewing limits for Shorts, the app’s vertical short-form video feed. The timer aims to address the issue of “doomscrolling” - endlessly watching Shorts for longer than intended.

With the new Shorts Timer, you can select a daily screen time cap for Shorts within the app settings. Once the limit is hit, the feed pauses and a reminder appears, helping you recognize your habits and take breaks.

How to set YouTube Shorts timer

To set the Shorts timer:

  1. Open the YouTube app on your phone.
  2. Tap on your profile icon.
  3. Tap on Settings (gear icon).
  4. Select General.
  5. Look for the Shorts timer and enable it.

The feature has just started rolling out. So it may be a while before you see it in the YouTube app's settings. But it's likely to sit in the General settings along with 'Remind me to take a break' and 'Remind me when it's bedtime' options.

The Shorts timer won’t block your access entirely. It simply gives a gentle pause reminder once your set time runs out. For viewers who frequently lose track of time scrolling through Shorts, this could serve as a subtle but effective way to manage viewing habits.

Parents may find the feature particularly useful once it’s tied into supervised accounts, which will make the reminders non-dismissible for younger users. Until then, it’s a voluntary feature meant for self-regulation.