YouTube has just given its users an option to completely change how they use the platform: the chance to disable Shorts.
A new update now allows users to turn their Shorts-specific screen time to zero daily minutes, meaning the tab and entire feed is completely removed from the app.
The update builds on a previous 2025 update which allowed limitations from 15 minutes to two hours - which has now been lowered to zero.
In an age of concerns about doomscrolling, the impact is mixed. Users can enjoy their favourite long-form content without being sucked into endless scrolling, but on the other hand, Shorts are a fantastic discovery platform to find new creators.
We asked the experts what they thought about the new limitations on Shorts. Good or bad? Let’s find out.
Industry reacts
Jake Kitchiner, Co-founder of ChannelCrawler sees the benefits for long-term users who value YouTube’s short-form content.
“YouTube can frame this as a feature to help reduce doomscrolling, and that is part of it. But I think there is a hidden layer here. YouTube culture was built on long-form, and there is still a strong base of OG users who do not particularly like Shorts, or want them dominating their feed.
“When Shorts take up so much space on the homepage, it can make the product feel worse for people who want a more traditional YouTube experience. So this is not just about screen time. It is also about keeping the users who are much more heavily leaning in to long form happy.”
Neil Chase, filmmaker and YouTube creator, sees a similar perspective towards OG users, but also acknowledges the effect it might have on discovering new creators.
“Anything that can helps people take control of increasingly limited attention spans is a good thing. Let's face it, shorts are designed to be addictive. They're fast, endless, and easy to consume. Giving users a simple way to step out of that loop and focus on their real life (work, school, family, etc.), or more meaningful online content is a smart move. It creates space for deeper storytelling, which is where real connection happens.
“At the same time, shorts have become one of the most powerful discovery tools for creators. In my own case, they've helped new audiences find my work quickly - and start following me for more writing advice that I offer. If more users start turning them off, it could make growth slower, especially for smaller creators trying to get noticed.
“So yes, it may shift the balance back toward long-form, which could be great from a story or informational perspective, but it might also make it harder for creators to reach wider audiences.
“Overall, it feels like a step toward more intentional viewing habits. But for creators, especially those still trying to grow audiences, it means adapting again and making sure their long-form content is strong enough to hold attention when people choose to stay.
Alex Lefkowitz, Founder and CEO of Tasty Edits, thinks the effects will depend on which niche the creators sit in.
“Ultimately, it will depend of course how many users actually take advantage of the possibility to disable Shorts. But if that segment is sizeable, it means that many YouTube creators will have to pivot their strategies - especially when it comes to content discovery. We've seen with many of our creators that producing original Shorts and re-formatting existing long-form content to Shorts has been a great way of drawing in new viewers.
“That said, I believe the impact of this new option will vary considerably by niche. Some niches, such as education, are less likely to see major changes for creators. In these niches, users are often looking for in-depth, long-form content rather than a quick entertainment fix, so Shorts engagement has never been astronomical.
“Similarly, users in entertainment-focused niches are probably not going to disable Shorts if that is their preferred format. At the end of the day, it will depend on whose target audience uses this new feature to disable Shorts and which creators have made vertical content a key element of their strategy.”
Rohit Agarwal, Co-founder at Zenius isn’t worried about the change because he believes that viewers are shifting back to long-form videos anyway.
“TikTok and Instagram were created as platforms for short-form content, so disabling this content format does not make sense on them. But for YouTube, disabling Shorts doesn't take away the platform's value completely.
“This is because short-form content is not native to YouTube, so while Shorts took off, I think that many users were eventually going to shift back to long-form videos.
“I do see creators having to shift their content strategies to re-adopt long-form, though. For instance, many lifestyle creators are starting to cross-post storytime videos on YouTube about their short content on Instagram and TikTok.
“But this doesn't mean short-form videos will completely disappear from the YouTube algorithm because many demographics prefer this quick content.”
With so many differing points of view, we’ll be following closely to see how the change fares with users and creators alike.
