YouTube Fights Digital Addiction: Users Will Be Able to Self-Restrict Shorts Viewing

YouTube may offer a feature in the future that will allow users to set a timer to limit the amount of time spent watching Shorts videos. As Android Authority reports, a special daily timer was found in the code of the YouTube beta 20.15.32 app that stops watching Shorts videos after the user’s daily limit is reached.

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A YouTube spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that while the feature is not currently being publicly tested, the company is exploring the possibility of implementing it in the future.

According to the code, the daily timer allows users to set a specific amount of time to watch Shorts, and once that limit is reached, the videos in that section will no longer be available for the rest of the day. However, users will still be able to view individual Shorts that appear elsewhere on the platform (such as in the news feed or in search results). This means that access to all Shorts will not be completely blocked.

YouTube already has a “Take a break” reminder that users can enable for regular videos.

For some people, the habit of endlessly watching short videos on internet platforms can become a serious problem. Research shows that excessive use of short video apps is associated with consequences such as decreased concentration, poor time management, and reduced learning ability.

According to Google, YouTube Shorts gets more than 70 billion views daily. The platform has been aggressively promoting Shorts, introducing easy-to-use content creation tools. However, Google now appears to be waking up to the harm these video formats can cause to users, Android Authority notes.