YouTube is adjusting its algorithm to prevent videos showing non-violent aggression and idealized physical appearances from being promoted to teenagers on the platform. YouTube says that 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 new safeguards are being introduced globally and apply to content that compares or idealizes certain physical features, weight, and fitness over others, or displays social aggression like intimidation and verbal fights. The restrictions also apply to makeup tutorials for changing the appearance of someone’s nose or eye shape, or fitness videos promoting muscular or slim physiques. “A higher frequency of content that idealizes unhealthy standards or behaviors can emphasize potentially problematic messages — and those messages can impact how some teens see themselves,” said Allison Briscoe-Smith, a researcher on YouTube’s Youth and Families Advisory Committee.
