YouTube is rolling out additional parental control features focused on limiting how much time children and teens spend watching short-form videos, as scrutiny over minors’ online safety continues to grow worldwide.
New Time Limits For Shorts
YouTube, which is owned by Google, announced on Wednesday that parents will be able to set daily time limits for how long children’s linked accounts can watch YouTube Shorts. Shorts are YouTube’s short-form video product, similar to formats used by TikTok and Instagram.
Parents can also block access to Shorts entirely. The restriction can be set permanently or applied temporarily, such as when a child is expected to use YouTube only for educational content.
Bedtime And Break Reminders
YouTube said it will expand its reminder tools by allowing parents to configure custom Bedtime and Take a Break notifications. These prompts encourage users to stop watching videos after a certain period or at specific times of day.
The same reminder features remain available to adult users, who can choose to set their own limits and notifications.
Easier Account Switching For Families
The company also said it plans to update the app’s sign-up and account experience in the coming weeks. The change is intended to make it easier for families to switch between adult and child accounts with fewer steps inside the app.
YouTube noted that the feature relies on users remembering to change accounts, which remains a requirement for the controls to function as intended.
Existing Teen Supervision Tools
The new features extend YouTube’s existing parental controls for teen accounts. Parents can already supervise certain channel activities if a teen is creating content on the platform.
These supervision tools have become common across major social platforms. Companies including Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok offer similar parental or guardian controls for younger users.
Age Estimation Technology
Last year, YouTube introduced age estimation technology designed to assess whether an account is likely operated by a teen. The system is used to tailor the experience with age-appropriate settings and protections.
The latest updates reflect ongoing efforts by YouTube and other platforms to respond to regulatory pressure and public concern around children’s exposure to online content.
Featured image credits: Pexels
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