Why standard app timers don't work for YouTube
If you set a 30-minute timer on YouTube, it cuts you off in the middle of a lecture or tutorial, exactly when you're using it well. So you disable it, and then it protects nothing. The thing you want to limit isn't YouTube; it's Shorts.
What YouTube offers natively
- A Shorts feed time limit has been rolled out in some regions, but it is a simple timer and availability varies.
- You can hide a few recommendations with "Not interested", though Shorts keep coming.
- YouTube's break and bedtime reminders nudge you but don't stop you.
Check your own app's settings, since YouTube changes these often.
Limit Shorts with Brainrot
- Install Brainrot: Reel Limit and enable it under Settings → Accessibility.
- Set a daily Shorts limit, or use Unified mode to share one budget with Instagram Reels and the rest.
- Use YouTube normally. Brainrot tells vertical Shorts apart from regular horizontal videos.
- Long-form videos: lectures, podcasts, documentaries, music and live streams play with no counter.
- Shorts: each one counts. At your limit the Shorts feed closes.
Suggested limits
| Situation | Limit |
|---|---|
| Exam or deadline week | 0 |
| Everyday use | 10 to 20 |
| Unified across all feeds | 30 to 50 shared |
More on the YouTube Shorts blocker page.
