YouTube introduces new parental controls and limits on Shorts for teens: How it works

YouTube has proclaimed a go under of young features and insurance policy updates on wed about how children and teenagers use the platform, with a particular focus on parental control, age-appropriate content and simpler account management.

New limits on short-form viewing

One of the key changes targets YouTube Shorts. Parents using supervised teen accounts will be able to set limits on how much time their children spend scrolling short-form videos. The company said parents will soon have the option to reduce this limit to zero, allowing Shorts to be switched off entirely when needed.

According to the platform, the feature is designed to give families more flexibility. Parents can restrict Shorts during study time and allow longer access during travel or leisure periods. In addition, YouTube is expanding existing wellbeing tools by allowing parents to customise Bedtime and Take a Break reminders for supervised teen accounts.

Guidance on what counts as quality teen content

YouTube is also introducing a new set of principles intended to define what constitutes higher-quality content for teenage viewers. These guidelines have been developed with input from a Youth Advisory Committee, academic researchers and child development specialists.

The principles outline characteristics of content considered more suitable for teens, as well as types viewed as lower quality. YouTube said the guidance will be shared with creators to encourage more responsible publishing for younger audiences.

The same framework will influence YouTube’s recommendation systems for teens. Educational and explanatory videos are expected to appear more frequently in teen feeds, while content that does not meet the new standards may be shown less often.

Changes to account setup for families

Further updates focus on how families manage accounts. YouTube already places users under 18 into accounts with additional protections. In the coming weeks, parents will be able to create new child accounts through a revised sign-up process and switch between different family accounts more easily within the mobile app.

The update is intended to reduce confusion when multiple family members share devices, making it simpler to ensure that children and teenagers are using accounts with the correct settings and recommendations for their age group.

Ongoing focus on youth safety

YouTube said the changes build on more than a decade of work on youth-focused products, including YouTube Kids and supervised experiences for teens. The platform continues to face scrutiny from parents, regulators and child safety groups over screen time, recommendation algorithms and the impact of social media on young users.

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