Summary
- YouTube launched feature to limit daily Shorts time on mobile devices
- Users can set a maximum time, and playback pauses when the limit is reached, although it is possible to waive the warning.
- According to the platform, the function will be available for all devices throughout the day.
YouTube is finally putting into practice, starting today (10/22), a new daily time limit feature to stop infinite scrolling in Shorts, the short video section. The idea is to help users have more control over their content consumption.
The function is not exactly a surprise. In April, signs of this tool appeared in the application’s code. At the time, the analysis suggested a block focused on exactly what YouTube is implementing now: a way to paralyze the sequence.
According to the The Vergethe new feature will be released throughout the day for all users on mobile devices. It is not yet clear whether the functionality reaches all regions at once.
How does it work?
For those who want to activate the new feature, you can find it in your YouTube account settings. There, the user can define a maximum period of Shorts consumption per day. When this time is up, the application itself pauses playback and a notification appears on the screen with a warning: “Shorts are paused for today”.
Still, YouTube doesn’t force you to close the app and the tool depends entirely on the user’s discipline. That’s because the warning is more of a reminder than an effective block, which can simply be dismissed with a tap, and infinite scrolling resumes.
YouTube defends the feature by saying that while Shorts are “a core part of the experience,” the new limit “enables this exploration while helping users be more deliberate about their habits.”
The platform, however, has already announced a next step: the function will be expanded to parental control later this year. And, in this case, the blockade will be for real. For parents who activate the feature, the time-out notification cannot be waived.
With this, YouTube aligns itself with the main competitors in the format. Reels on Instagram and TikTok have been offering similar optional features for some time so that users can manage the time spent on the apps.
Source: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/youtube-ganha-funcao-para-te-ajudar-a-sair-do-shorts/
