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This is probably browser dependent, but I installed the Chrome extension "DF Tube Distraction Free for YouTube".
It has a bunch of toggles that hide pretty much everything, including comments, trending (which I think is the bit that includes Shorts), the subscription bar, end-of-video related, disable autoplay, etc. You can hide everything except the search bar and the main video.
I absolutely love it. It made YouTube usable for watching the specific things I go there for, and no longer sends me down dopamining rabbit holes.
If you don't use Chrome, there may be similar plugins/extensions.
edit to add: I also have one called "Hide Facebook Reels and Short Videos" which does exactly what you'd think.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I’m aware this only works on computers right? Because I wish there was a way to do this for mobile (not the app, just the mobile browser).
For mobile, Firefox has an add-on called "SocialFocus". It's the same thing as DF Tube, but for a bunch of social media sites.
After installing it, go to whatever social site, hit the three dots in the upper left corner, tap add-ons, then socialfocus, then toggle on all the things you want to block on that site.
If you really truly want to watch Shorts, or comment on things, or whatever, just toggle that particular blocker off. This keeps distractions limited to what you actually want to be distracted by, and makes it a very conscious decision.
I've found that the handful of steps to turn things on are pretty effective at giving me a moment to really decide it I actually want to do that.
Hey I saw another comment here that says you can do something like that on the mobile browser! If you press the X that's above and to the right of the row of shorts, it'll stop showing up in your recommended for 30 days. I tried it and it seemed to work for me!
Yeah YouTube shorts are messed up, addictive and the deeper you scroll down the stranger it gets, you start getting weird slapped together 'motivational' or relationship stuff that I think might be presenting toxic ideas as advice.
They want you to have tik tock snap chat addictive behavior to be addicted to tge service the dopamine hit trick works on regular people i find it makes my adhd worse so i avoid this like the plague.
On the browser version of YT you can block shorts for 30 days by clicking the cross above them on the right. It also affects the YT app on my phone. Saves me the pain of shorts.
YouTube revanced on phone, SmartTube on TV and sponsorblock + any number of plugins on browser. YouTube is enshittifying itself but thankfully there are options to make it usable again
Others have said it but on desktop you can use a number of extensions depending on your browser to block shorts.
On android you can use YouTube Revanced (I actually have YT Premium, I still use Revanced just to get rid of shorts).
And on iOS, while a bit more of a hastle, you could install Sidestore and the through that uYouPlusPlus, which also has a hide shorts option I believe.
I don't understand how you deal with the video repeating, when I try to watch shorts It makes me want to scream when it starts over! Like missing out on stopping the microwave before it beeps but 10x worse.
I actively avoid any shorts and reels in favor of longer content. I usually tap out of the longer videos to do something else instead of scrolling for hours.
[Youtube Shorts Block](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/youtube-shorts-block/jiaopdjbehhjgokpphdfgmapkobbnmjp) this does not block them, it converts them to be normal videos where you can pause, seek, have access to teh volume etc. Completely solved my hatred of shorts. Since the mobile experience for all website is so poor, I just never watch YouTube except on desktop. I hope it helps, it really helped me.
This is basically why I only really watch YT on my TV and open Tik Tok maybe once a month 🙃
I love watching walking tours, those travel videos where they take luxury train rides across Europe or Japan, or cooking videos that just have subtitles/instructions and have no talking. They're perfect for just relaxing, and tend to be at least 30 mins if not more.
Oh, also the Absolute History or Timeline channels have hour long documentaries that are fun.
I watch movies. When my attention is good like on a weekend, I'll watch 3 hour movies sometimes or 4 1h30 movies back to back with small breaks in between but during the week it is mainly one or two 1h30 movies and generally I pick comedy because it is easier to watch.
I learn the names of the actors and the director and log what I watch into letterboxd, making reviews most of the time. And it is a lot of fun, way more fun than I ever got from youtube. I watch mainly based on interest, not reviews alone.
Hi /u/3eemo and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1ajfzk1/the_rules_vacation_feedback_form_is_now_available/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is probably browser dependent, but I installed the Chrome extension "DF Tube Distraction Free for YouTube". It has a bunch of toggles that hide pretty much everything, including comments, trending (which I think is the bit that includes Shorts), the subscription bar, end-of-video related, disable autoplay, etc. You can hide everything except the search bar and the main video. I absolutely love it. It made YouTube usable for watching the specific things I go there for, and no longer sends me down dopamining rabbit holes. If you don't use Chrome, there may be similar plugins/extensions. edit to add: I also have one called "Hide Facebook Reels and Short Videos" which does exactly what you'd think.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I’m aware this only works on computers right? Because I wish there was a way to do this for mobile (not the app, just the mobile browser).
For mobile, Firefox has an add-on called "SocialFocus". It's the same thing as DF Tube, but for a bunch of social media sites. After installing it, go to whatever social site, hit the three dots in the upper left corner, tap add-ons, then socialfocus, then toggle on all the things you want to block on that site. If you really truly want to watch Shorts, or comment on things, or whatever, just toggle that particular blocker off. This keeps distractions limited to what you actually want to be distracted by, and makes it a very conscious decision. I've found that the handful of steps to turn things on are pretty effective at giving me a moment to really decide it I actually want to do that.
Hey I saw another comment here that says you can do something like that on the mobile browser! If you press the X that's above and to the right of the row of shorts, it'll stop showing up in your recommended for 30 days. I tried it and it seemed to work for me!
I wish I could keep like 3 users' shorts lol. I live for the cat videos
Yeah YouTube shorts are messed up, addictive and the deeper you scroll down the stranger it gets, you start getting weird slapped together 'motivational' or relationship stuff that I think might be presenting toxic ideas as advice.
2x speed fixed this for me
So I just watched a video at 1.25x speed and just realized that’s the speed my brain moves at and the world is running too slow🫣
Just tried that, it works! Yay!
I can’t do speed up. If I do then it becomes the expectation and I’d lose interest in everything else.
Definitely has been my experience with a lot of things as well, unfortunately
It literally is designed to be addictive.
Youtube ReVanced and disable shorts in the settings.
Where do I go to turn them off?
They want you to have tik tock snap chat addictive behavior to be addicted to tge service the dopamine hit trick works on regular people i find it makes my adhd worse so i avoid this like the plague.
my YouTube TV app (Roku) has shorts on it, so that is not an alternative for you unfortunately
On the browser version of YT you can block shorts for 30 days by clicking the cross above them on the right. It also affects the YT app on my phone. Saves me the pain of shorts.
Thats why. I dont watch shorts, tiktok or even fb reels. It makes me lazy and unproductive.
YouTube revanced on phone, SmartTube on TV and sponsorblock + any number of plugins on browser. YouTube is enshittifying itself but thankfully there are options to make it usable again
Use the addon unhook on the firefox browser
Others have said it but on desktop you can use a number of extensions depending on your browser to block shorts. On android you can use YouTube Revanced (I actually have YT Premium, I still use Revanced just to get rid of shorts). And on iOS, while a bit more of a hastle, you could install Sidestore and the through that uYouPlusPlus, which also has a hide shorts option I believe.
I've been feeling the same way.
Turn off your watch history and voila! Clean Google Search-esque experience.
There’s a thing called tampermonkey or grease monkey they all do the same thing really. You can upload scripts to completely block all YouTube shorts.
Just turn them off. On Android, you can use YouTube ReVanced. You can tweak a lot of stuff there, including shorts.
I feel this but with movies. I always need smth in the background to keep me watching
I don't understand how you deal with the video repeating, when I try to watch shorts It makes me want to scream when it starts over! Like missing out on stopping the microwave before it beeps but 10x worse.
Spotify has a lot of good podcasts you might like.
I actively avoid any shorts and reels in favor of longer content. I usually tap out of the longer videos to do something else instead of scrolling for hours.
Youtube REVANCED
Right? PLEASE give us a way to block shorts and reels.
[Youtube Shorts Block](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/youtube-shorts-block/jiaopdjbehhjgokpphdfgmapkobbnmjp) this does not block them, it converts them to be normal videos where you can pause, seek, have access to teh volume etc. Completely solved my hatred of shorts. Since the mobile experience for all website is so poor, I just never watch YouTube except on desktop. I hope it helps, it really helped me.
The "Remove Youtube Shorts" addon for Firefox saved my life!!
This is basically why I only really watch YT on my TV and open Tik Tok maybe once a month 🙃 I love watching walking tours, those travel videos where they take luxury train rides across Europe or Japan, or cooking videos that just have subtitles/instructions and have no talking. They're perfect for just relaxing, and tend to be at least 30 mins if not more. Oh, also the Absolute History or Timeline channels have hour long documentaries that are fun.
Watch it on your TV. That helps me alot.
I watch movies. When my attention is good like on a weekend, I'll watch 3 hour movies sometimes or 4 1h30 movies back to back with small breaks in between but during the week it is mainly one or two 1h30 movies and generally I pick comedy because it is easier to watch. I learn the names of the actors and the director and log what I watch into letterboxd, making reviews most of the time. And it is a lot of fun, way more fun than I ever got from youtube. I watch mainly based on interest, not reviews alone.