April 15, 2026
Doomscrollers, your scissors arrived
YouTube now lets you turn off Shorts
Fans shout “finally”, skeptics cry “not really” as zero‑minute limit rolls out
TLDR: YouTube now lets users set a zero-minute Shorts limit, which can effectively hide Shorts after you hit the cap and is rolling out to all. Commenters are split: some celebrate a cure for endless scrolling, others say it hasn’t reached them or doesn’t remove Shorts everywhere, with lawsuit chatter in the mix.
YouTube just handed doomscrollers a pair of scissors: a new setting lets you set the Shorts timer to zero, which effectively removes those TikTok-style clips from your app once you hit the “limit.” The vibe online? Pure chaos. Some users are throwing confetti, others say it’s smoke and mirrors, and everyone’s checking their phones to see if they’ve got it yet. One thrilled commenter says they can “finally redownload the YouTube app” without relying on browser hacks, while another warns it “hasn’t rolled out everywhere yet,” cueing the classic FOMO parade.
Then comes the plot twist: while YouTube’s own tests say hitting the limit also removes Shorts from the Home screen, a loud skeptic fires back with a blunt “No it doesn’t,” claiming zero minutes only stops the endless swipe after a single Short plays. Meanwhile, conspiracy corner wonders if this timing is tied to those lawsuits accusing social apps of “addictive” design, adding a dash of courtroom drama to the feed. Parents are loving that zero is “live” for them now, and practical folks want the same switch in YouTube Music.
So is it freedom from the scroll or just a prettier speed bump? The community is split, the memes are spicy, and the only universal truth is everyone’s racing to Settings → Time management to see what their app actually does.
Key Points
- •YouTube added a zero-minute limit to the Shorts feed timer in its time management settings for Android and iOS.
- •The Shorts timer was first announced in October with a minimum limit of 15 minutes.
- •In January, YouTube broadened the feature for parental controls; the zero-minute option is now live for all parents and rolling out to all users, per a company spokesperson.
- •When the limit is reached, the Shorts tab shows a “reached your Shorts feed limit” notice; tests indicate Shorts also disappear from the Home screen.
- •Users can enable the control via Settings > Time management > Shorts feed limit and choose a time, including zero.