How to Stop Doomscrolling YouTube Shorts
Last updated: August 2026
Quick answer: You cannot out-discipline an infinite feed; remove it instead. Install the free Dehook extension and turn on Hide Shorts: the shelf and the format disappear from your homepage, search, and subscriptions. No feed, no scroll, no 1 a.m. surprise.
Nobody plans to watch ninety Shorts. The format is built so the next one is already moving before you decided to watch it, and the swipe costs less effort than the decision to stop.
Delete the arena
Discipline strategies fail here because the environment is stronger than the intention. Dehook’s answer is architectural: the Shorts surface simply is not rendered. You cannot lose a fight that never starts.
Break the loop in 3 steps
- Install Dehook. Add the free extension to your browser.
- Turn on Hide Shorts. One toggle removes the format everywhere on desktop YouTube.
- Optional: go further. Set a minimum video length and hide comments to remove the remaining micro-scroll surfaces.
Dehook↑ no feed, no loop
Hide Shorts: the anti-doomscroll toggle.
FAQ
Why can I not just stop scrolling?
Shorts implements a variable-reward loop: each swipe might deliver something great, which is the same mechanism slot machines use. Removing the feed beats fighting it, because the loop cannot start.
Does hiding Shorts remove them from search too?
Yes, shelves and Shorts results are filtered in search and subscriptions as well as the homepage.
What about Shorts on my phone?
Extensions cannot modify the mobile app. On the phone, use the app’s own time limits or your device’s screen-time controls, and consider watching YouTube in the mobile browser where the pull is weaker.
I relapse via one Short someone sends me. Any tip?
Sent links still open and play, which is fine: that is intentional viewing. The difference is that after the video ends there is no feed under it to fall into.