Fitness videos will still be available to teenagers on YouTube through search, but they won't be automatically recommended to them. The new rules, according to announcements, bring more control for parents and allow them to see their children's activities on YouTube
Tool YouTube in water restrictions into the algorithm for videos about fitness and health on children's accounts, and among the content that will not be recommended to them will be videos that "idealize" certain body shapes, reports BBC in Serbian.
Users between the ages of 13 and 17 will still be able to search for fitness content, but will not be encouraged to watch it again, YouTube said.
The decision, they add, was made due to concerns that frequent viewing of such material could develop "negative impressions" about their own appearance among young people.
Experts support the introduction of this measure, but also emphasize that a "wider discussion" is needed about health and training for young people.
When users watch a video, YouTube's algorithm generally recommends similar content to them, while related clips are displayed on the side.
This will no longer be the case when teenagers watch certain types of content, including:
- shots that show physical conditions and idealize some body types in relation to others;
- shots that idealize a certain level of physical fitness or weight;
- recordings in which there are forms of social aggression, such as non-contact conflicts or intimidation.
Abuse of YouTube
The move was made after the American Committee on Youth and Families found that "teenagers are more likely to form negative beliefs about themselves when they are repeatedly bombarded with messages about perfect standards in the content they consume online," according to YouTube.
Restrictions will only be enforced if teenagers are logged into their YouTube accounts and have entered the correct date of birth during registration.
The platform has no way of determining whether the user's stated age is correct.
YouTube's move is welcome if we consider "the connection between the use of social networks among young people and their perception of their own body", says Petja Ekler, a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, who studies the connection between body image and social platforms.
However, it is not enough, she adds for the BBC.
"It should be accompanied by a wider discussion about fitness and health within families, and the idea that exercise is a great way to improve health and well-being and that it shouldn't be done just for looks," explains Eckler.
YouTube has announced that it will introduce new ways for parents to control their children's activities on the platform.
It will enable linking the accounts of parents and teenagers in their household, so they can see everything they post, follow and comment on, and they will also receive an email notification if their child posts a video or starts a live broadcast.
In May, the US Office of Communications (Ofcom) ordered tech companies to change their algorithm to steer children away from "toxic" content.
Source: BBC in Serbian
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