This is perhaps one of the finest features on YouTube I’ve encountered. As stated in numerous prior posts, I believe that the infinite scrolling feed is one of the most addictive patterns in apps. It remains one of my primary sources of overconsumption in my life. I’m working to break free from as many of these patterns as I can, aiming to improve my well-being and regain time for myself and the people I value spending time with.
I possess a Google account, and while I intend to eventually delete it, I have not reached that point yet. Nevertheless, I’m acutely aware of the data Google can gather about me. Several weeks ago, I chose to disable the watch history for YouTube. This action led to the first homepage displaying this message and no longer showcasing “suggested” videos with the message: “Your watch history is off. You can adjust your settings anytime to receive the latest personalized videos.”
To me, this is an ideal situation as it confines my YouTube usage to searching for videos or watching content from subscribed creators. This liberation provides me with greater control over my YouTube experience.
To deactivate YouTube’s watch history for your Google Account, you can utilize this link: https://myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy