There is YouTube implemented additional security measures on its website for teenagers, this includes limiting the content they see that might cause them to form negative beliefs about themselves. As the Google-owned video-sharing platform explains, teenagers are more likely to criticize themselves if they see repeated messages about ideal social standards. In response, YouTube now restricts re-recommendations for European users of videos featuring specific fitness levels or body weights, as well as “social aggression in the form of non-contact fights and intimidation.” as The Guardian notes that this rule is already applied in the United States.
The website said it decided on these video categories after considering which ones “may be harmless as a single video, but may be problematic for some teenagers if viewed repeatedly.” In addition, it has deployed crisis center panels across Europe that will give teenagers a quick way to connect with live support from recognized crisis service partners. A panel may appear in the interface of young users watching videos about suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders, among other sensitive topics. It may also appear in search results if they search for topics related to specific health crises or emotional distress.
In addition to limiting potentially harmful recommendations, YouTube is adding a new parental control feature this will allow parents to link their accounts to their teens’ accounts for users in the US and other regions. Parents or guardians will view their child’s channel activity, such as the number of comments, downloads, and subscriptions, in the Family Hub. If a teen uploads a video or Short video and goes live, even in private mode, YouTube will send them an email.
The website informed about this TechCrunchalthough the warnings parents receive will not include information about the content of comments and uploads. Parents will also not be able to change the age of their children on their accounts. This feature is further extended parental control YouTube introduced in 2021. At the time, the website opened a public beta for supervised accounts, which allowed guardians to control the types of videos their children could see.
