I mostly use YouTube without ads, and with sponsorblock, so a similar experience.

I think YouTube shorts is exactly the experience we're talking about. And the youth watch it by scrolling up, not by selecting shorts that look interesting.

I resisted shorts for a long time, but I watch them now as well. Prefer them, even.

The fact we're not seeing ads, and that the comments are atrocious content, is irrelevant--our attention spans are at stake, not our wallets.