#YouTubeResponse

[osintelligence]

https://bit.ly/451Dtsi - 📺 A new report accuses YouTube's recommendation algorithm of steering children towards violent content, including videos of guns and school shootings. Despite YouTube's previous claims of prioritizing responsible recommendations, this troubling trend reveals a potential failure in their promise. #YouTube #ContentAlgorithms 🕹️ The study, conducted by the Campaign for Accountability's (CFA's) Tech Transparency Project (TTP), created four accounts impersonating two nine-year-olds and two 14-year-olds. All accounts were fed with gaming content, and their recommended videos were analyzed. Results showed that YouTube pushed violent content to all four, with a higher volume directed at those who clicked on YouTube-recommended videos. #TechTransparency #DigitalSafety 🔫 "It’s bad enough that YouTube makes videos glorifying gun violence accessible to children. Now, we’re discovering that it recommends these videos to young people," said Michelle Kuppersmith, Campaign for Accountability executive director. The findings raise concerns about the role of Big Tech's algorithms in exposing children to inappropriate content. #BigTech #Accountability 🎬 The recommended videos showcased a wide range of violent content, from school shootings to guides for converting a handgun to a fully automatic weapon. One account was even recommended an R-rated movie about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. This unsettling trend points towards an urgent need for more effective content regulation. #ContentRegulation #OnlineSafety 📈 The study also highlighted that accounts that engaged with recommended videos received up to 10 times more violent content. The videos were not age-restricted, with real firearms videos being pushed to the nine-year-old engagement account more than 12 times per day on average. #AlgorithmBias #OnlineEngagement 🎮 "YouTube’s algorithms seem intent on glorifying real-world gun use to boys as young as nine — at a time when mass shooters are trending younger and younger," warns Kuppersmith, casting a spotlight on the potential real-world implications of such exposure. #DigitalInfluence #MediaImpact 🔄 YouTube responded stating they offer options for younger viewers including the YouTube Kids app and Supervised Experience tools designed for a safer experience. They also mentioned they are looking into more ways to bring in academic researchers to study their systems. However, they questioned the study's methodology for lack of context and insight into how the test accounts were set up.