Following tragic instances of violence caught on camera, such as the recent case involving conservative political figure Charlie Kirk, many people online were disturbed by how quickly clips spread.
Featured VideoVideos circulated automatically in feeds, often before major outlets even picked up the story.
Meta and YouTube have told ABC News they’ll restrict this type of content for under-18 users, but autoplay is still a default on most apps.
If you want more control over what appears on your screen, here’s how to adjust your settings on the most popular platforms.
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For users who view videos on both the app and on desktop, your preferences will be saved for each version of the app.
- Step 1: Go to “Settings” and select “Video and audio preferences”
- Step 2: Select “Playback”
- Step 3: Deselect “Autoplay next video”
YouTube users under the age of 17 have autoplay as the default setting.
X (formerly Twitter)
On X, you can stop videos and GIFs from playing automatically.
- Step 1: Open the sidebar and tap “Settings and privacy.“
- Step 2: Click “Accessibility, display, and languages.
- Step 3: Under “Data usage,” find the “Autoplay” option.
- Step 4: Select “Never.”
Bluesky
Bluesky keeps things straightforward.
- Step 1: Go to “Settings.”
- Step 2: Open the “Content & Media” menu.
- Step 3: Uncheck the box marked “Autoplay videos and GIFs.”
Instagram doesn’t allow you to disable autoplay completely, but you can slow it down, which can be helpful.
Advertisement- Step 1: Go to your profile and tap the menu in the top right-hand corner.
- Step 2: Open “Settings.”
- Step 3: Scroll to “Media Quality.”
- Step 4: Toggle on “Use less cellular data.”
This forces videos to load more slowly, giving you time to scroll away before they start.
TikTok
Autoplay is TikTok’s default design, but you can still control how quickly videos load.
Advertisement- Step 1: Go to “Settings.”
- Step 2: Open the “Playback” menu.
- Step 3: Tap “Data Saver” and turn it on.
Facebook’s autoplay settings depend on whether you’re using a browser or the app.
Browser:
Advertisement- Step 1: Go to “Settings.”
- Step 2: Click “Media.”
- Step 3: Toggle off “Autoplay animations.”
App:
- Step 1: Tap the Menu (bottom right).
- Step 2: Go to “Settings & privacy.”
- Step 3: Select “Cellular data use.”
- Step 4: Under autoplay, choose “Never.”
While not every platform allows a complete shutdown of autoplay, these steps can help you control what shows up in your feed and give you more choice about what you actually watch.
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