It looks like YouTube is doing very little to combat an alarming situation related to minors.
The popular video-sharing app is considered to be one of the most popular platforms today. The user base has just hit 2.4 billion MAU and more than 238 million of them are based in the US.
Still, the app is yet to be successful at protecting minors, new reports claim. That’s shocking because 10% of the user base belongs to them.
The battle continues to prevent various channels from displaying NSFW ads for young users. It’s a debate that lasted for years and it’s yet to die down. Right now, the app is hosting more content that displays explicit material. While it might not be noticed at first, experts claim it’s shown in a disguised form.
The news comes after Reddit users were quick to highlight the content that’s kid-centered but highly inappropriate. Some videos had thumbnails with adult pictures and the most inappropriate titles.
Some of the characters were similar in appearance to that witnessed in anime web series. So it’s evident that the goal is to attract young minds. The channels are created to ensure young minds stay glued to the content on display.
A lot of the titles for these videos are not appropriate but seeing YouTube not take action is shocking. It’s still receiving so many recommendations. It’s not child-friendly but they don’t have any restrictions for age.
Seeing YouTube turn a blind eye is alarming because this content gets recommended to everyone. And when young kids are seeing adult-themed content, it can have a devastating impact. One such example is content produced through the X Studio in Germany.
Another alarming finding is the huge number of video thumbnails that suggest nudity and titles that are highly inappropriate. While they don’t necessarily make use of explicitly themed terms, they are put together in a sexual context with disturbing thumbnails.
Furthermore, some channels have evolved into inappropriate platforms. They might be innocent at first but with time and a growth in viewership, they transform into inappropriate channels that are unsuitable for young age groups.
So while one channel is innocent at the beginning, it doesn’t need to remain like that over time, experts revealed. The goal here seems to be cultivating young mindsets and grooming them later on.
For now, it’s not clear if YouTube ever plans on doing something to combat the situation. It might be too late for that. While many channels continue to exploit young minds, they defend the act by claiming there are no kid-friendly labels. So that’s just a gray area for YouTube.
The best way to prevent young minds from falling into such traps is more guidance on parents’ part. They need to make sure they’re monitoring online activity or the consequences are drastic.
Image: DIW
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