- By Prateek Levi
- Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:24 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
As part of an update to its Shorts timer, users can now set their daily limit to zero. That essentially removes Shorts from the home screen altogether. Once the limit is reached, the Shorts tab stops showing videos and instead displays a message saying you have hit your feed limit. The section also disappears from the home feed.
This builds on the feature introduced last October, when YouTube first rolled out time limits for Shorts. Earlier, the lowest limit users could set was 15 minutes. Now, with the option to set it to zero, the control is far more direct.
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More Control Over Scrolling
The idea here is simple. If you feel like you are spending too much time scrolling Shorts, you can now cut it off completely instead of just reducing it.
Until now, even after hitting the limit, users could dismiss the warning and continue watching. That is no longer the case. The restriction now actually holds, making it a more effective tool for managing screen time.
It also brings YouTube closer to what platforms like Instagram and TikTok already offer, although TikTok still has an edge by extending similar controls to its web version. YouTube’s version of the feature is currently limited to mobile.
Why This Matters Right Now
The timing of this update stands out.
It comes shortly after a US jury held YouTube and Meta liable in a case that argued their platforms were designed in ways that could be addictive, especially for younger users. The lawsuit also involved TikTok, owned by ByteDance, though some companies settled before the trial.
In court, the plaintiff claimed she began using YouTube and Instagram at a very young age and quickly developed habits that kept her spending long hours on these platforms. Her legal team pointed to features like infinite scrolling as part of the problem.
A Small Change With Bigger Implications
Against that backdrop, this update feels less like a routine feature drop and more like a shift in approach.
By letting users completely remove Shorts from their home screen, YouTube is giving them a clearer way to step back if they feel the format is too distracting. It is not a forced change, but the option is now there in a more meaningful way.
How To Enable It
If you want to use the feature, head to Settings in the YouTube app, go to Time management, turn on the Shorts feed limit, and set the duration. Choosing zero will remove Shorts from your home feed once the limit is applied.
For now, the feature is rolling out on mobile, with no confirmation yet on when or if it will come to the web version.