Business
YouTube Toughens Policy On Gun Videos And Youth; Critics Say Proof Will Be In Enforcement
Washington — YouTube is modifying its regulations regarding firearm videos to prevent potentially deadly content from reaching teenage users.
Google’s video-sharing network announced Wednesday that it will restrict videos detailing how to remove weapon safety mechanisms. Furthermore, films of homemade guns, automatic weapons, and certain firearm accessories, such as silencers, will be prohibited for individuals aged 18 and up.
YouTube Toughens Policy On Gun Videos And Youth; Critics Say Proof Will Be In Enforcement
The measures, which go into effect on June 18, came after gun safety activists repeatedly urged the platform to do more to prevent gun videos from reaching the site’s youngest users, possibly scarring youngsters or leading them down dark roads of extremism and violence.
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, described the adjustment as good news and a start in the right direction. However, she questioned why the company took so long to implement a new policy and stated that her group would monitor how successfully YouTube implemented its new regulation.
“Firearms are the number one cause of death for children and teens in America,” said Paul, whose organization has long advocated for stricter age restrictions on online gun videos. “As usual with YouTube, the true test of progress is whether the business enforces the policies it puts in place. Until YouTube takes meaningful effort to keep videos on firearms and gun violence from reaching kids, its policies are meaningless.”
Last year, researchers from Paul’s group constructed YouTube profiles that replicated the behavior of 9-year-old American boys who claimed to be interested in video games. The researchers discovered that YouTube’s recommendation system sent these accounts graphic videos of school shootings, tactical gun training films, and how-to instructions for making rifles fully automatic.
YouTube Toughens Policy On Gun Videos And Youth; Critics Say Proof Will Be In Enforcement
One video showed an elementary school-aged girl clutching a weapon, while another showed a gunman firing a.50 caliber revolver into a dummy head covered in lifelike blood and brains. Many of the videos broke YouTube’s regulations prohibiting violent or graphic content.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urged YouTube last month to curb the spread of firearm-related content to underage viewers, accusing the business of failing to police its standards. On Wednesday, Bragg praised the company’s new policy.
“We have heard firsthand from young individuals that YouTube’s algorithm is driving them to the world of illegal and 3D-printed firearms, which is having a direct impact on the safety of Manhattanites,” Bragg stated in an email to reporters.
YouTube stated that the policy modifications were intended to reflect new technologies, such as 3D-printed firearms, which have become increasingly common in recent years. YouTube requires users under 17 to obtain permission from their parents before using the site; accounts for users under 13 are linked to the parental account.
YouTube Toughens Policy On Gun Videos And Youth; Critics Say Proof Will Be In Enforcement
“We regularly review our guidelines and consult with outside experts to make sure we are drawing the line at the right place,” said business spokesperson Javier Hernandez.
YouTube, like TikTok, is a popular website among children and teenagers. Both sites have previously been questioned for hosting and, in some cases, promoting videos encouraging gun violence, eating disorders, and self-harm.
Several offenders in recent mass shootings have used social media and video streaming services to glorify violence, anticipate assaults, and even livestream them.
SOURCE – (AP)