YouTube has rolled out new parental controls and updated youth policies that target Shorts screen time, teen recommendations, and family account setup. The changes expand YouTube’s supervised experiences for teens and aim to give parents clearer tools to manage how minors use the platform.
Parents who use supervised teen accounts can now set a time limit for YouTube Shorts. The limit can range from 15 minutes to two hours, and YouTube plans to add a zero-minute option that turns Shorts off entirely. Teens cannot change or disable the setting from their side.
YouTube also lets parents adjust wellbeing prompts on supervised teen accounts. Parents can set custom Bedtime and take a break reminders, which YouTube already offers as optional tools for adult users. The platform says these settings help families match limits to routines, such as study time or travel.
YouTube has introduced new principles that define quality teen content. The company says it developed the guidance with input from a Youth Advisory Committee, researchers, and child development experts. The framework highlights features that make content more suitable for teens and flags categories that YouTube considers lower quality.
YouTube plans to use the same guidance to adjust recommendations for teen accounts. The platform expects to see more educational and explanatory videos appear in teen feeds. It also expects less exposure to content that does not align with the updated standards. YouTube says it will share the guidance with creators to support more responsible publishing for younger viewers.
YouTube is updating its sign-up flow to simplify family account management. Parents will soon be able to create a new child account through a revised setup process and easily switch between family accounts in the YouTube mobile app. The update targets shared devices, where account switching often causes confusion.
YouTube also updated supervision rules for teens who want to remove parental controls. Google now requires a parent or guardian to approve any request to remove supervision from an account held by a user aged 13 or older. The change is linked to Google’s broader effort to identify minors on its platforms, including AI-based age estimation that reviews account signals and viewing activity.
The update comes as regulators and child safety groups continue to press major platforms to address concerns about screen time and recommendations. YouTube says it will continue to expand protections across YouTube Kids and supervised experiences for teens.