The video-sharing giant YouTube has rolled out a new timer feature for its ‘Shorts’ feed, addressing rising concerns over the mental health impacts of excessive and “mindless scrolling.” This move is an attempt to give users more control over their screen time.
Through this new feature, users can now go into the app’s settings and establish a specific daily time limit for watching Shorts. Once this preset limit is reached, a pop-up notification appears on the screen, pausing the feed.
Currently, the feature functions more as a reminder than a strict enforcement. Users still have the option to dismiss the notification and continue scrolling if they choose to do so.
YouTube stated its goal is to “promote healthy screen time habits.” This tool is an extension of the platform’s existing “Digital Wellbeing” initiatives, which already include “Take a Break” and “Bedtime Reminders.”
The company also clarified that a more robust version is planned for 2026, which will be integrated into Parental Controls. This future update will prevent children from simply dismissing the alerts.
This development comes at a critical time for social media platforms. Companies are facing intense scrutiny and over 2,000 lawsuits in the U.S. and worldwide, alleging that they have implemented “addictive features” that are negatively impacting the mental health of children.
