YouTube Introduces New Timer Feature

It’s common for people to open a short video, thinking they’ll just watch the one — then realize they’re still on the app an hour later. YouTube is adding a new timer feature to help users manage this behavior, a move that reflects both growing public pressure on tech platforms and the company’s interest in fostering long-term engagement rather than risking user burnout. Users can set a daily time limit for Shorts viewing through the app’s settings. Once they reach their limit, they see a pop-up notifying them that scrolling on the Shorts feeds is paused — though the pop-up is dismissible. Earlier this year, after Android Authority spotted the feature in development in one of the Android APKs (app files), YouTube confirmed it was exploring the time-limit feature for Shorts consumption. YouTube notes that the limit is currently not integrated with parental controls, meaning parents or guardians can’t just set a specific limit on how much their kids scroll the Shorts feed. However, the company says parental controls are coming next year, when children won’t be able to dismiss their prompts.