YouTube adds new parental controls and guidance for teen and family accounts
New settings give parents greater control over Shorts, breaks and bedtime, while updated creator principles aim to surface higher-quality content for younger viewers.
YouTube said it is rolling out new parental settings and creator guidance designed to help families better tailor the platform for teens and supervised accounts.
The company said parents can now set a control to limit the amount of time spent scrolling Shorts, with an option to set that limit to zero coming soon. YouTube described the feature as an industry first and said the control can be flexed depending on context, for example, restricting Shorts during homework time and allowing longer access on trips.
For supervised accounts, parents will also be able to set custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders, building on existing default wellbeing protections already enabled for teen users, the company said.
YouTube said the changes reflect feedback from parents and experts calling for clearer controls, more age-appropriate content and simpler account setup. The company added it has spent more than a decade developing tailored products and built-in protections for younger viewers.
Alongside the new controls, YouTube is introducing updated content principles and a creator guide aimed at improving the quality of videos recommended to teens. The principles were developed with YouTube’s Youth Advisory Committee and the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA, with support from experts at the American Psychological Association Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and other global organisations.
YouTube said it will use these principles both to educate creators and to help inform its recommendation systems. The goal is to increase the visibility of high-quality, educational content for teen audiences, including videos from channels such as Khan Academy, CrashCourse and TED-Ed.
The company said the updates are part of a broader effort to balance creative expression with safeguards that support healthy digital habits for young people.
The Recap
- YouTube adds parental controls and teen-focused viewing features.
- Parents can limit Shorts viewing, including setting timer to zero.
- New creator principles will guide recommendations toward high-quality videos.
