Trending Now - Youtube Introduces Zero-minute Limit to Hide Shorts Feature

WHO:

Techmeme - YouTube users are the primary audience affected by the new feature.

Engadget - YouTube is the organization implementing the new feature.

WHAT:

Engadget - Users may see a notice stating, “Scrolling is paused but you may still see individual Shorts” when they activate the zero-minute limit.

Engadget - Users may need to refresh their app for short-form videos to disappear from their feed after setting the zero-minute limit.

Techmeme - YouTube has introduced a zero-minute time limit for its Shorts feature, allowing users to effectively remove Shorts from their app.

Engadget - The previous lowest time limit for Shorts was 15 minutes, which has now been reduced to zero minutes.

Engadget - Users can choose from various time limits for Shorts, with two hours being the maximum available option.

WHERE:

Techmeme - The feature is available on YouTube's iOS and Android applications.

WHEN:

Engadget - The Shorts feed limit feature was originally launched in October 2025.

Engadget - The integration of the feature with parental controls occurred earlier in 2026.

WHY:

Engadget - The new zero-minute limit aims to help users stop "doomscrolling" on mobile devices.

HOW:

Engadget - Users can activate the zero-minute limit by navigating to the "Settings" page in the YouTube app, selecting "Time management," and scrolling to the "Daily limits" section.

(UPDATED April 16, 2026 17:22 UTC)

Engadget reports that users may encounter a notice stating, “Scrolling is paused but you may still see individual Shorts” when they activate the zero-minute limit on their app. Additionally, users might need to refresh their app for short-form videos to completely disappear from their feed after setting this limit. This change aims to enhance user control over their viewing experience.

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(UPDATED April 16, 2026 11:27 UTC)

YouTube has introduced a new feature that allows users to set a zero-minute time limit for its Shorts, effectively enabling them to remove Shorts from their app entirely. Previously, the lowest time limit for Shorts was 15 minutes, but now users can choose from various limits, with two hours being the maximum option, all available on YouTube's iOS and Android applications. This new feature, aimed at helping users curb "doomscrolling" on mobile devices, can be activated by going to the "Settings" page, selecting "Time management," and scrolling to the "Daily limits" section.