YouTube now tells you how much time you’ve spent watching videos
How much time have you wasted this week?
YouTube has added a digital wellbeing feature which reveals exactly how much time you have spent watching videos.
The video streaming service’s app now shows anyone logged into their Google account the total amount of video viewing time for today, yesterday, the past seven days and their daily average.
“Our goal is to provide a better understanding of time spent on YouTube, so you can make informed decisions about how you want YouTube to best fit into your life,” the company said.
The move is part of a wider digital health focus for Google, which back in May announced plans for tools that help users manage their screen time.
Time watched, which can be found under the account section on the YouTube app, allows anyone to switch on self-imposed time management settings, including reminders to take a break and the ability to silence notifications from the app during specific hours.
The times do not include YouTube Music, videos deleted from viewing history and any videos watched in the private incognito mode.
Google is planning to add a Digital Wellbeing feature to Google Pixel handsets running Android Pie next, which will show owners a breakdown of the time spent on different apps and how often they check their phone.
