Children are likely being recommended inappropriate videos on YouTube

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-05-30 01:00

International

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A large amount of the video recommendations on YouTube videos popular with children contain inappropriate content, according to international researchers. Using new computers, the researchers started watching YouTube videos by using the 12 top-searched terms popular with children and randomly clicking on recommended videos 20 times in a row to see what type of content they were shown, and how it changed over time. The researchers say most content did not appear to get more inappropriate the more videos they clicked, however, 44.6% of the recommended videos contained "creepy, bizarre and disturbing" content, 40.6% contained violence, peril and pranks and 18.2% contained gender stereotypes - with stereotypes the one category that did appear to become more common the more they engaged with that type of video.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Michigan Medical School, USA

Funder: This research was funded by Lynn and Stuart White through the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School.

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