Why YouTube's Shorts Limit Is Easy to Ignore
YouTube now lets you set Shorts to zero minutes, but adults can dismiss the reminder. Here's what the limit does, where it falls short, and a layered setup for workdays.
The BOSLA AI team4 min read
YouTube now lets you set your Shorts limit to zero minutes. If you're an adult, you can also tap past the reminder when it shows up. That small detail decides whether the setting helps you or just sits in a menu.
Here's what the feature does, why a limit you can dismiss is easy to wave away, and a layered setup that holds up on a busy workday.
What YouTube changed
In October 2025, YouTube added a Shorts timer to its app, with limits starting at 15 minutes and going up to two hours. In April 2026, reports said you can now pick zero minutes. To find it, open Settings, then Time management, then Shorts feed limit.
At zero, the Shorts tab stops showing videos and you see a "reached your Shorts feed limit" message. Shorts may also disappear from your Home feed. According to MediaNama's report, a YouTube spokesperson said the option is rolling out to everyone, adult accounts included. It's arriving in phases, so you might not see it yet, or you might need to refresh the app.
Why a soft limit is easy to ignore
The same report makes a point that's easy to miss. For regular accounts, the limit is soft: you can dismiss it. For supervised teen accounts, it's strict and can't be dismissed.
That difference matters for you. A rule that asks you to decide again, in the middle of a tired afternoon, is a rule you'll bend. It isn't a character flaw. A feed is built so that "one more" is the easy choice, and a dismissible limit hands the hard choice back to you at the worst possible moment.
Shorts also don't live in one place. They can still show up in your Subscriptions feed, and they arrive through links people send you in chat. A zero on the Shorts feed mostly stops the endless scroll on the home screen. That's a real gain, and it's a first layer. It isn't the whole fence.
A setup that holds on a workday
Think in layers. One at the app, one at your starting point, one in your browser.
- Set the Shorts feed limit to zero on your phone. Settings, Time management, Shorts feed limit. It's a quick change, and it removes the biggest pull from the place you're most likely to give in: the couch, the commute, the gap between meetings.
- Decide what the reminder means before it appears. Write a rule once: "If I see the limit message, I close YouTube." Then the reminder isn't a question anymore. It's a signal you've already answered.
- Change where you start. Most unplanned scrolling begins on the Home feed. Open Subscriptions, or search for the one thing you came for. Our guide to Search, Subscriptions and Home feed explains when each one fits.
- Pick videos by title, not by the loudest image. Thumbnails are designed to win the click. On a computer, you can cover them so you choose from the title and the channel. We cover how in How to Blur YouTube Thumbnails. It also helps if you'd simply rather not see certain images while you work.
- Add a break reminder that matches your session. If you plan 45 minutes of learning, set the reminder to 45. It's dismissible too, but at that point it's a natural pause, not a fight.
- Check in once a week. Fifteen minutes on a Friday is enough to see what keeps pulling you in and adjust. The weekly feed review walks through it.
Where Shorts still get through
Even with all six steps, expect a few to slip in. A shared link opens a Short. A search result includes one. That's fine. The goal isn't a feed with zero Shorts forever. It's a feed where you stay in charge of when you watch them, and where a stray one doesn't turn into a long detour.
If you want the full list of YouTube's own options, including "Show fewer Shorts" and bedtime reminders, see our guide to reducing Shorts distractions.
Where BOSLA AI fits
BOSLA AI is a browser extension, currently in beta, that works on YouTube, X and LinkedIn in Chrome, Edge and Brave. Today it can block YouTube ads and cover faces, thumbnails and sensitive images with Blur, which is off until you turn it on and runs on your device. Hiding Shorts is on our list of upcoming feed controls, but it isn't available yet, so we won't pretend it is.
If a calmer YouTube on your computer sounds useful, you can create a free account and try it while it's free in beta. If it doesn't fit how you work, the steps above still stand on their own.
Quick answers
Can adults make the Shorts limit strict? Not according to the reports we found. For regular accounts the limit is soft and can be dismissed. Strict enforcement applies to supervised teen accounts.
Does a zero limit remove every Short? No. Shorts can still appear in places like Subscriptions, and you may still open one from a shared link.
I don't see the zero option. What now? The rollout is gradual. Update the app and refresh it, and check again in a few days.
