Parents in Ireland now have more control over their teen’s viewing experience with YouTube’s industry-first Shorts feed limit. The feature, which allows parents to set a time limit or turn off the Shorts feed completely within a supervised account, is available now.
“At YouTube, our approach has always been to protect teens in the digital world, not from it,” said Dr. Garth Graham, Global Head of YouTube Health. “Today, parents in Ireland and across Europe can set the amount of time their teens spend on Shorts, including to zero minutes per day – an industry-first parental control.
“We believe parents should be in the driver’s seat and the new Shorts feed limit helps them to tailor their family’s viewing experience. This is just one of the tools we’ve created over the past decade designed to support the vital conversations families have at home about building healthy digital habits. We’ll keep expanding protections for families, guided by independent experts.”
“Agree the Rules, Use the Tools”
Dr. Garth Graham, a physician and father, also emphasises that tools are one part of the equation. To coincide with the launch, Dr. Garth released 5 tips to help families create healthy digital habits:
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Talk openly. Make it a regular habit to chat about online experiences and the types of creators, and shows, your teen likes watching.
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Watch together. The best way to know what your teen is seeing? Watch it with them. Grab a spot on the sofa and be curious — ask them why they enjoy a particular creator.
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Agree on rules and use the tools. Talk about the boundaries that are right for your family. Use YouTube’s parental controls — like the Shorts feed limit, bedtime, and “take a break” reminders — to help build those habits.
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It’s a balancing act. Help your teens create a healthy balance between their online world and physical activities, hobbies, and face-to-face time.
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Promote mindful use. Teach them to be intentional. Guide them toward high-quality, enriching content that deepens their interests and broadens their perspectives.
A simpler family account set-up
YouTube has also made it easier for parents to put their kids in the right age-appropriate account on YouTube. In just a few steps, parents can now create a supervised kid account directly on YouTube, and choose the content settings best fit for them.
How parents can set a Shorts feed limit on YouTube
Parents can do this through their child’s supervised YouTube account. Here’s how:
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On the YouTube app, in the Family Center, select your child’s account.
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Choose ‘Time management’.
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On the “Time management” tab, set the daily Shorts feed limit, including to zero minutes per day.
When your teen reaches their daily limit, a message will appear letting them know and will prevent them from scrolling the Shorts Feed for the remainder of the day.
For more information on YouTube’s tools and resources for families, visit youtube.com/myfamily.