YouTube Sends Violent And Graphic Gun Videos To 9-year-olds? ‘It's Not The Kids; It's The Algorithms’ Study Finds
Researchers have found that YouTube has been recommending violent and graphic gun videos to 9-year-olds, courtesy of the platform’s advanced and powerful algorithms
Internet and its platforms are evolving and it’s happening really fast! This paradigm shift has fundamentally altered how we perceive and consume content. There have been swift modifications in the way our society was structured and the way we lived our lives.
While the world, especially Uncle Sam’s home country, has been reeling from gun violence, researchers have found that YouTube has been recommending violent and graphic gun videos to 9-year-olds, courtesy of the platform’s advanced and powerful algorithms.
Researchers at a nonprofit studying social media wanted to understand the link between YouTube videos and gun violence. To understand the issue, persisting in American society, they created accounts on the platform that mimicked the behaviour of normal boys living in the US.
They simulated two nine-year-olds who both liked video games. The accounts were identical, while one clicked on the videos recommended by YouTube, and the other ignored the platform's suggestions.
It was found that the account that clicked on YouTube’s suggestion was flooded with graphic videos about school shootings, tactical gun training videos and how-to instructions on making firearms fully automatic.
Interestingly, one video featured an elementary school-age girl wielding a handgun; another showed a shooter using a .50 caliber gun to fire on a dummy head filled with lifelike blood and brains.
A slew of videos violated YouTube's own policies against violent or gory content, yet they continued to be recommended on the platform.
The findings featured that despite the video-sharing giant’s rules and content moderation efforts, the platform is failing to stop the spread of frightening videos that could traumatize vulnerable children — or send them down dark roads of extremism and violence, reported ABC News.
Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, the research group that published its findings about YouTube on Tuesday said, “Video games are one of the most popular activities for kids. You can play a game like ”Call of Duty" without ending up at a gun shop — but YouTube is taking them there. "It's not the video games, it's not the kids. It's the algorithms.”
Meanwhile, YouTube’s spokeswoman defended the platform's protections for children and noted that it requires users under 17 to get their parent's permission before using their site. She further added that accounts for users younger than 13 are linked to the parental account.
“We offer a number of options for younger viewers," the company wrote in an emailed statement. “Which are designed to create a safer experience for tweens and teens.”
Apart from YouTube, TikTok has also been under scanner after reports showed the platform was recommending harmful content to teens, reported ABC News.
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