Jul 14, 2026 [[read-time]] minute read
Listen to article
Dr. Ali Mattu is a clinical psychologist and YouTube creator focused on helping people address their anxiety. He recently sat down with us to talk about his tips for parents managing screen time for their children while using YouTube.
YouTube as a resource in clinical practice
Dr. Mattu finds YouTube to be a powerful tool to help his patients. Given how limited his one-on-one time with each patient is, YouTube is incredibly valuable for extending the work they're doing together; both with referencing his own content and the wide variety of mental health content that can be there on demand for people when they need motivation, guidance, and reminders.
Navigating parental controls and using the YouTube Health Shelf
Dr. Mattu says that YouTube's "Health Shelf" is useful for navigating mental health content on the platform because it helps viewers distinguish between different types of content — whether it's from a healthcare provider or it’s someone's own lived experience. Each type of content has its place, but knowing clearly what you're watching is important.
The tools are there, but Dr. Mattu explains that parents should think about how they should be used and keep an open-ended conversation with their children about it. The conversation about our relationship to technology and how we value it is never-ending. He says it can be helpful to explain that you use tools to help manage your own screen time, and that we're in this together as a family to make sure we're getting what we want out of our tech.
When it comes to setting limits and using parental control systems, it's important to know that every kid is different. The levels that you set for their technology usage depend on how they're doing in all of their developmental markers, and those levels can change over time depending on your comfort level and how things are going. Again, it's an ongoing conversation.
Finding the 'sweet spot' for kids' digital interests
It's so important for children to feel less alone in the things that they love, Dr. Mattu says, and for parents to celebrate those things and empower them to go deeper. Kids' interests are ever-changing, but you can always lean in on what they're interested in right now. Find one of the cool, supportive communities that can help foster their latest intrigue.
Dr. Mattu explains how important it can be for a teen who is feeling isolated or alone to see and learn that there are other people who have felt the same way or are thinking about the same things. Simply seeing someone else's experience — and possibly engaging with others discovering at the same time — in itself can be healing. It can also help teens develop the language that can help them convey what they're going through.
Be sure to watch the full video with all of Dr. Ali's tips on the Creator Insider channel.
