YouTube introduces new parental controls on teen users

YouTube is changing its algorithm to prevent videos featuring nonviolent aggression and idealized physical features from being promoted to teenagers on the platform. According to a new blog post, such information "may be innocuous as a single video" but could "be problematic for some teens if viewed repetitively."

The limits are intended to keep younger users from slipping into problematic "rabbit hole" content pipelines while not prohibiting them from viewing such videos entirely, as many comply with YouTube's content guidelines. "Teens are more likely than adults to form negative beliefs about themselves when seeing repeated messages about ideal standards in content they consume online," the company claimed.

The new controls are being implemented globally and relate to content that compares or idealizes specific physical traits, weight, and fitness above others, or depicts "social aggression" such as intimidation and non-contact fighting. The limits also apply to beauty lessons that change the form of someone's nose or eyes, as well as exercise videos that promote muscular or slender physiques.

According to Allison Briscoe-Smith, a researcher on YouTube's Youth and Families Advisory Committee, a high frequency of video that promotes unhealthy standards or behaviors can reinforce potentially harmful messages and influence how kids perceive themselves. "Guardrails can help teens maintain healthy patterns as they naturally compare themselves to others and size up how they want to show up in the world."