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Helping families across Europe build healthy digital habits

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Helping families across Europe build healthy digital habits

By Dr. Garth Graham, Director and Global Head of YouTube Health

YouTube’s Global Head of Health shares five tips for navigating the digital world as our industry-leading Shorts feed limit becomes available in Europe.

Apr 20, 2026 [[read-time]] minute read

As a doctor and a parent, my work revolves around one central question: how can technology support our well-being? This is never more important than when we think about young people.

YouTube Shorts feed limit demonstration.

Parents can now set daily time limits for the scrolling Shorts feed — including turning it off entirely

At YouTube, our approach is to protect teens in the digital world, not from it. This means giving them a safe place to learn and explore, while empowering parents with meaningful tools. For over a decade, guided by independent child development specialists, we’ve built features to help families set the digital boundaries that are right for them.

Today, our newest set of tools for families are available across Europe:

  • Industry-first Shorts timer: Parents can now set daily time limits for the scrolling Shorts feed—including setting it to zero minutes to turn the feed off entirely.
  • A simpler family account set-up: We’re making it easier for parents to put their kids in the right age-appropriate account on YouTube. In a few steps, parents can now create a supervised kid account directly on YouTube, and choose the content settings best fit for them.

Tips for creating healthy digital habits

Tools are only one part of the equation. They are there to support the real-world conversations and habits families build at home. Here are my five simple tips to help your family navigate the digital world together:

  1. Talk openly. Make it a regular habit to chat about online experiences and the types of creators, and shows, your teen likes watching.
  2. Watch together. The best way to know what your teen is seeing? Watch it with them. Grab a spot on the sofa and be curious — ask them why they enjoy a particular creator.
  3. Agree on rules and use the tools. Talk about the boundaries that are right for your family. Use YouTube’s parental controls — like the Shorts feed limit, bedtime, and "take a break" reminders — to help build those habits.
  4. It’s a balancing act. Help your teens create a healthy balance between their online world and physical activities, hobbies, and face-to-face time.
  5. Promote mindful use. Teach them to be intentional. Guide them toward high-quality, enriching content that deepens their interests and broadens their perspectives.

Creating a supportive digital environment is a commitment we all share. We’ll keep building tools and expanding protections for families that put parents in the driving seat, guided by independent experts.

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