How to set a time limit on YouTube for yourself on iPhone (2026)

Turn on Remind me to take a break

1. In the YouTube app, tap your profile picture.
2. Tap Settings, then General.
3. Turn on Remind me to take a break.
4. Choose a Reminder frequency and tap OK.

When the reminder comes up, your video pauses until you dismiss it. YouTube's help lists a few catches: the timer resets if you close the app, sign out, switch devices or pause a video for more than 30 minutes, and it doesn't run for offline videos or while casting. The reminder is for phones only, not tablets.

Set a bedtime reminder

1. Tap your profile picture, then Settings and General.
2. Turn on Remind me when it's bedtime.
3. Pick a start and end time and tap OK.

If you'd rather finish the current video first, select Wait until I finish video to show reminder. When the reminder appears, you can close it or tap Remind Me Again to get another one in 15 minutes. YouTube says this works on iPhone, not iPad.

Check how much you actually watch

Tap your profile picture, then the Time management tab. It shows how long you watched today, yesterday and over the past 7 days, plus your daily average. The numbers come from your watch history, so they are not available while watch history is paused, and videos you removed from history aren't counted.

Make the limit stick with iPhone Screen Time

YouTube's own tools remind you. To be stopped, the limit has to come from the iPhone.

1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time, then App Limits and Add Limit (iOS 26).
2. Select YouTube, tap Next and set the time. Tap Customize Days if you want different limits on school days.
3. Set a Screen Time passcode with Lock Screen Time Settings.
4. Open the YouTube limit again and turn on Block at End of Limit.

On iOS 27, use Time Allowances instead, which set time for a category of apps and also cover websites an app declares as associated. On iOS 26, youtube.com in Safari needs its own entry under Never Allow in Content & Privacy Restrictions. A passcode you chose yourself can be typed in and the limit lifted, so it works best when someone else sets it.

Cut what eats the time instead (minulo)

Often the time doesn't go into the video you meant to watch but into Shorts and the next recommendation. minulo is an iPhone app that opens YouTube's website inside the app. You can hide Shorts, Home recommendations, All home recommendations (Home keeps only search) and Comments, one at a time. Subscriptions, Watch later and search open straight from the minulo home screen.

Hiding is free and has no time limit. minulo can also lock the official YouTube app with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block, and its block screen has an Open in minulo button. While the app is locked, its notifications don't arrive, and minulo sends none of its own. Schedules by day and time, longer blocks, Hard Mode and multiple block lists are in minulo Pro. minulo runs on iPhone and Mac, not Android.

Does YouTube have a daily time limit?

Not one that locks you out. We could not find a daily limit for your own account in YouTube's help as of October 2026. YouTube has reminders instead: Remind me to take a break, Remind me when it's bedtime and the Shorts feed limit. You can dismiss each one and keep watching. Supervised accounts for kids and teens have separate controls run by a parent.

How do I set a time limit on YouTube on iPhone?

For a reminder, tap your profile picture in the YouTube app, then Settings, General, and turn on Remind me to take a break. For a real limit, use iPhone Screen Time: on iOS 26, add an App Limit for YouTube, set a Screen Time passcode and turn on Block at End of Limit. On iOS 27, use Time Allowances.

How do I turn off the YouTube take a break reminder?

Tap your profile picture, then Settings, General, and switch off Remind me to take a break. You can also tap Change break reminder when a reminder appears. YouTube's help says the reminder is on by default for users aged 13 to 17 and off for users 18 and over.

Why doesn't YouTube's reminder stop me from watching?

Because it is only a reminder. The take a break reminder pauses the video until you dismiss it, and one tap lets you keep watching. The timer also resets if you close the app, sign out, switch devices or pause a video for more than 30 minutes. The bedtime reminder can be closed or snoozed for 15 minutes.

Can I limit only YouTube Shorts?

YouTube has a Shorts feed limit under Settings, Time management. You can set it to 0, but when you reach it YouTube lets you dismiss or ignore the limit. To have Shorts gone with nothing to tap past, watch YouTube in minulo with Shorts hidden. That is free.

Sources

1. YouTube Help: Take a break reminder
2. YouTube Help: Set a bedtime reminder
3. YouTube Help: Time watched profile
4. YouTube Help: Set a Shorts feed limit
5. Apple: Set schedules with Screen Time on iPhone (iOS 26)
6. Apple: Block apps, app downloads, websites, and purchases on iPhone (iOS 26)
7. Apple: Set Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances on iPhone (iOS 27)
8. App Store (US): minulo