YouTube: Restriction of video recommendations on body weight and fitness

In future, young people should be recommended fewer videos on YouTube that idealize physical appearance, fitness or body weight.

Together with experts, the video platform has identified “content categories that may be harmless as a single video, but could be problematic for some young people if viewed repeatedly”, YouTube announced.

These included videos that compare physical characteristics and idealize some types over others, as well as content on forms of social aggression such as non-contact fighting and intimidation, in addition to specific fitness levels and body weight. “As a result, we are now restricting repeated recommendations of videos on these topics for young people in Germany and worldwide.”

YouTube ‘s algorithm is designed to keep users on the platform for as long as possible by recommending similar or related content based on previous user behavior. It takes into account factors such as previously viewed videos, search queries and interactions such as likes or comments.

This leads to users who have viewed videos on certain topics being shown more and more similar content. This can promote a one-sided perception. According to YouTube, young people are far more susceptible than adults to developing negative beliefs about themselves if they repeatedly see content with supposedly ideal standards that they do not meet.

dpa