YouTube Shorts Can Now Be Disabled: How to Use the New 'Zero Minute' Limit Feature

YouTube has introduced a new feature aimed at helping users break their addiction to Shorts videos. Under this update, users can now set their Shorts viewing time limit to Zero Minutes on the mobile app.This feature helps Android and iOS users effectively remove or ignore the Shorts feed from their app. To enable this setting, users must navigate to Settings in the YouTube app, go to Time Management, select Shorts Feed Limit, and choose Zero Minutes.

How It Works

Once enabled, Shorts videos will be completely removed from the YouTube homepage. However, users can still view specific Shorts through their Subscription feed if they wish. After setting the limit to zero, any attempt to scroll through Shorts will trigger a full-screen notification stating, "You’ve reached your Shorts feed limit," which halts further scrolling.

Parental Controls vs. Adult Accounts

The functionality of this limit varies based on the type of account:

Teen Accounts: For accounts monitored by parents via Google Family Link, the zero-minute limit acts as a "hard wall." Children cannot bypass the setting to watch more videos.

Adult Accounts: For standard adult accounts, the limit functions only as a gentle reminder. Users can easily dismiss the notification and continue scrolling.

Note: This feature is currently only available for the mobile app. Desktop users still need to rely on browser extensions to block Shorts.

Official Rollout and Context

YouTube spokesperson Mackenzie Spiller confirmed that the option to set a zero-minute limit is now "Live" for all parents and is currently being rolled out to all standard adult users.

Since its launch in 2020, YouTube has invested heavily in Shorts, recently increasing the maximum video length to three minutes and adding creator tools like AI-generated avatars. While its "infinite scroll" design is built to maximize engagement, YouTube is facing increasing pressure to reduce screen time.

By tucking the Zero Minute option deep within the settings, the company fulfills its "digital wellbeing" obligations without overtly encouraging users to leave the platform. Analysts suggest that by introducing this feature, YouTube has—albeit quietly—acknowledged that Shorts can indeed be addictive.