How to block YouTube Shorts on Android
YouTube is useful: tutorials, lectures, music. Shorts is the part that eats the evening. One swipe becomes a hundred.
Here are the ways to rein it in on Android, and how strong each one really is.
Why Shorts is worth limiting
In a 2023 lab study, 60 people did four different activities between tasks. The TikTok-style short-video feed was the only activity that hurt prospective memory: remembering to do something you'd planned.
That's the "I came into this room for something…" feeling, on repeat.
Option 1: YouTube's Shorts timer
In late 2025, YouTube added a daily limit for the Shorts feed. You set it in the YouTube app's settings. When you reach it, a pop-up says your Shorts scrolling is paused.
The catch: the pop-up can be dismissed, so you can keep scrolling.
Option 2: An Android app timer
In Digital Wellbeing, set a daily timer on the YouTube app. When it runs out, YouTube is paused until midnight.
The catch: it limits all of YouTube, not just Shorts, and you can turn the timer off in Settings whenever you like.
Option 3: Turn off what pulls you in
- Turn off YouTube notifications.
- Pause or clear your watch history, which makes the recommendations less sticky.
- Use YouTube in the browser on a laptop for the videos you actually need.
These help a little. They don't stop a determined thumb.
Option 4: Block it properly
If you keep dismissing limits, the reliable fix is to remove the option. Umer OS blocks the YouTube app and its website on Android, including YouTube videos opened inside other apps. Turning it off needs your password or a 24-hour wait, so it holds when your willpower doesn't.
You keep everything else: calls, WhatsApp, maps, banking and a safe browser for normal websites.
Quick comparison
| Option | Blocks only Shorts? | Easy to switch off? |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts timer | Yes | Yes, dismiss the pop-up |
| Digital Wellbeing timer | No, all of YouTube | Yes, in Settings |
| Umer OS | No, all of YouTube | No: password or 24-hour wait |
Related: What infinite scroll does to your attention · Turn your Android into a dumb phone
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