How to Block YouTube Shorts for Kids (and Why It's So Hard)
You cannot fully turn off YouTube Shorts — there is no setting that removes the Shorts feed from the main app, and the workarounds parents trade online (hiding shelves, 'not interested' clicks) are partial and temporary. The only reliable way to get the infinite scroll out of a child's hands is to watch YouTube content through a player that has no Shorts surface at all. Here's the honest state of play.
Why Shorts are a specific problem for kids
Shorts are engineered for the tightest engagement loop on the platform: sub-60-second payoffs, instant swipe to the next, no natural stopping point. For developing attention systems that's the most habit-forming format on screens today — many parents who are fine with a 20-minute SciShow Kids episode draw the line exactly here.
The format also concentrates the moderation problem: enormous volume, minimal metadata, and a feed that moves faster than any parent can preview.
What the workarounds actually do
On the main app you can tap away individual shelves and mark Shorts 'not interested' — the shelf returns. Pausing watch history starves recommendations broadly, degrading the rest of the experience without removing the Shorts tab. Third-party browser extensions can hide Shorts on desktop, which is rarely where kids watch.
YouTube Kids has no dedicated Shorts tab, which is genuinely better — though short-form, fast-cut content still populates its feeds. None of these moves changes the underlying design: the platform wants the loop available.
The reliable fix: a player with no Shorts surface
The structural solution isn't hiding the feed — it's watching through an app where the feed doesn't exist. An allowlist player like Vidling plays full videos from parent-approved channels and simply has no Shorts shelf, no swipe-feed, no up-next bait. The format disappears not because it's blocked, but because nothing in the app's design summons it.
Pair that with a starting list from our curated guides and the daily argument about 'one more Short' evaporates — there's nothing to scroll.
Frequently asked questions
Can I disable Shorts in the YouTube app settings?
No. You can temporarily hide the Shorts shelf and reduce its prominence via history settings, but the tab and format remain part of the app. No official setting removes Shorts entirely.
Are Shorts on YouTube Kids?
YouTube Kids has no dedicated Shorts tab — a real advantage — but short-form content itself still appears in its feeds. The pacing concern survives even where the swipe mechanic doesn't.
Is short-form video actually harmful for kids?
The honest answer: the format maximizes reward frequency and minimizes effort, which is the pattern parents and a growing body of attention research worry about most. Whatever the eventual science settles on, no child's day is worse for having full-length stories and lessons instead of an infinite scroll.