- New daily time limits for minors to watch YouTube Shorts, configurable between 0 and 120 minutes.
- Supervised accounts with parental control panel, notifications, and digital wellbeing tools.
- Algorithmic improvements to reduce sensitive, compulsive, or inappropriate content for teenagers.
- Updated registration, quick switching between accounts, and specific principles for creators targeting young people.
Parents now have new options to regulate the time that their children dedicate to watching short videos on YouTube ShortsThe platform has decided to strengthen its parental controls for minors, with the aim of curbing the marathon sessions of vertical clips that so many families view with concern.
These new features are in addition to a set of tools that the company has been deploying for some time to helping teenagers use YouTube more responsiblywithout completely disconnecting them from the digital environment they navigate daily. The approach involves offering parents more information and more control, but without turning the child's experience into something totally monitored.
In recent months, YouTube had already moved in the direction of limit the viewing time of vertical videos for the general public. Now it takes it a step further and extends those capabilities specifically to children's accounts, so adults can adapt the use of Shorts to the needs and routines of each family.
The company is thus responding to a demand that has become increasingly visible: families who They try to find a middle ground between letting children explore content on the Internet. and avoid compulsive consumptionespecially in highly addictive formats like short videos. The goal is not only to avoid inappropriate content, but also to curb the amount of time spent on this type of entertainment.
With these measures, YouTube is positioning itself as one of the platforms that seeks to accompany the transition from childhood to adolescence with more refined controlsInstead of relying solely on blocking, the aim is to give children some leeway to build their digital identity, while adults can supervise and set clear limits when necessary.
Time control on YouTube Shorts: from 0 to 120 minutes per day
The most striking new feature is the possibility of set a daily limit viewing Shorts on minors' accountsParents can adjust this limit from zero minutes up to a maximum of two hours per day, in 15-minute increments to adapt usage to each specific case.
This means that, if deemed appropriate, it is possible completely block access to the Shorts feed You can limit its use to certain times, for example during exam periods or during specific hours, and activate it only during more controlled leisure time. Alternatively, you can opt for moderate use with a smaller daily allowance.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, families who want to allow for a little more flexibility have the option of authorize up to 120 minutes of short videos per dayThis might be useful on long trips, weekends or holiday periods, always under supervision.
The idea is to provide adults with a flexible tool to to prevent children and teenagers from spending hours sliding non-stopThis is a very common dynamic in this type of format. The 15-minute interval system makes it easier to balance time with other activities, such as homework, sports, or family time.
These features are part of YouTube's overall effort to promote Digital wellbeing through rest reminders and bedtime alertswhich were already present and are now reinforced in supervised accounts, especially relevant for the adolescent public in Spain and the rest of Europe.
Monitored accounts and control panel for families
In addition to time limits, YouTube is reinforcing the model of supervised accounts that link the minor's profile to that of their parentsThis setting allows adults to have a clearer view of what is happening on the teenager's account without entering into a realm of extreme surveillance.
By associating both profiles, The minor receives an explicit notification that their account is connected to that of their parents.In this way, the aim is to promote transparency and dialogue instead of perceiving control as a hidden or punitive tool.
From the associated panel, parents can access relevant information about the adolescent's activityThis includes things like playback times, interactions with other users, and certain settings changes. It's not about a detailed analysis of everything they do, but rather an overview to help identify excesses or potential problems.
This approach seeks to ensure that young people learn to make more mature digital decisionsKnowing they have the support of their tutors if something is confusing or if they encounter sensitive content. In this case, control is combined with the idea of gradually delegating responsibility.
The platform itself insists that its intention is to protect minors in the digital environment, and not to completely remove them from itFor many families in Spain and other European countries, this formula may fit better with daily life, in which mobile phones and online videos are part of regular leisure activities.
Notifications, subscriptions, and comments are monitored.
Along with the time adjustments, YouTube has rolled out a set of real-time monitoring tools designed for parentsThey function as a kind of key activity dashboard, without needing to review each video or message individually.
One of the most useful functions are the content upload notificationsWhen a teenager uploads a new video or starts a live stream, the platform can notify the linked adult. This makes it easier to review the published material and assess whether it's appropriate.
The option to consult the list of channels to which the minor is subscribedThis detail helps to understand which content creators interest them, what topics they follow, and if there are any profiles that might not fit with the family's age or values.
In parallel, the system is capable of giving Information related to the activity in the commentsThis includes both the comments the teenager posts and those they receive in their own videos. This point is especially sensitive because it can uncover situations of harassment, insults, or pressure that don't always come to light spontaneously.
Finally, the panel includes a Digital wellbeing section with viewing time statistics and configurable reminders, designed to help parents detect usage spikes and adjust limits on Shorts or other types of content when they see the balance tipping too far towards the screen.
Algorithmic improvements and healthier content for teenagers
Beyond the visible controls, YouTube claims to have worked on the algorithmic part that decides what is recommended to teenagersThe focus is on reducing repetitive exposure to videos that, while not necessarily illegal, can be harmful if consumed excessively.
In this regard, the platform says it provides Special attention should be paid to content that promotes unrealistic beauty standards.Extreme diets or risky behaviors. This type of material tends to trap them in viewing loops that can affect self-esteem and emotional well-being.
To avoid this, the recommendation system has been adjusted so that limit the repetition of these videos in the feed of minorspromoting a more varied offering and less focus on sensitive topics. The intention is to prevent young users from becoming fixated on a single problematic category.
These measures are complemented by more visible rest and bedtime remindersThis is especially important in the European context, where more and more studies are warning of the impact of lack of sleep on school performance and mental health in adolescents.
According to the company, the design of these features has been carried out in collaboration with psychologists and youth development expertswho have emphasized the importance of setting clear limits at night and promoting more stable routines even at early ages.
New registration, easy account change, and a guide for creators
Another area where YouTube is introducing changes is the account registration and management experience for familiesNow, when creating a profile for a minor, the process is more visual and transparent, clearly indicating that it is a supervised account and what the implications are.
In addition, the application incorporates a A clearer interface for switching between adult and child accounts on the same device. The idea is to reduce errors and make it very clear who is using the app at any given time, something that is especially useful on mobile phones and tablets shared at home.
This simplification of profile management is complemented by the possibility of Configure content and settings based on the child's ageeasing restrictions as they get older, but always maintaining a certain level of protection.
On the other hand, YouTube has announced the launch of a set of principles that will serve as a reference for the creators whose main audience is teenagers. The goal is to encourage them to produce entertaining videos that are also age-appropriate, with higher quality and educational value.
These guidelines aim to improve the ecosystem of content for young people in Europe and globally. steer clear of purely sensationalist or potentially harmful formatsfavoring proposals that offer more than just a few seconds of quick impact in Shorts or other sections of the platform.
These new developments point to a scenario in which parents can to more accurately track how much time your children spend on YouTube ShortsWhat kind of content do they watch, and how do their digital habits evolve, without having to cut off their access to the platform altogether. The balance between autonomy and supervision remains delicate, but the company is trying to offer more tools so that each family can find its own comfort zone.
