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We’ve all been there: you open a small, insignificant Short on YouTube and suddenly you have lost an hour scrolling through videos on topics you probably don’t even want to see. To curb this behavior, YouTube has introduced a new timer feature that allows users to manage the time they spend viewing Shorts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u200bAs the name suggests, the Timer feature allows users to set a daily time limit for how long they can scroll Shorts<\/a> on the mobile version of the YouTube app.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u200bOnce the time limit is reached, users will see a dismissible prompt that the scrolling on the Shorts feed is paused for the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u200bHowever, the feature is not yet linked with parental controls on the YouTube app, meaning parents cannot yet set a time limit for how many Short videos their children can watch. YouTube says it is planning to expand the feature to parental controls later in the year. When that happens, parents will be able to set a limit on Shorts videos from their account, and the prompt that children would see after the limit is reached would be non-dismissible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u200bNotably, social media apps have been blamed in the past for promoting doomscrolling with their \u2018endless scroll\u2019 design. Research has shown that this behavior can have serious mental health consequences including distraction, reduced learning capacity, and increased feelings of anxiety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n