YouTube introduced new insurance policies Tuesday surrounding how the platform will take care of consuming dysfunction content material.
While the corporate has lengthy had insurance policies in opposition to content material that promotes consuming issues, the brand new guidelines concentrate on limiting content material that’s “imitative.”
“Moving forward, we’ll be updating our Community Guidelines to also prohibit content about eating disorders that feature imitable behavior, or behavior that we worked with experts to determine can lead at-risk viewers to imitate,” a press release from the corporate reads.
Videos that comprise excessive calorie counting, purging after consuming and “weight-based bullying” will not be allowed on YouTube.
However, since YouTube has a big group of content material creators that concentrate on psychological well being and consuming dysfunction consciousness, movies that debate or element such “imitable behavior” within the context of restoration can be age-restricted for these 18 and older.
YouTube has not detailed the way it will implement the brand new insurance policies, or how it will likely be in a position to inform the distinction between a video that ought to be banned or just age-restricted. According to the corporate, extra particulars in regards to the verification course of are coming quickly, with plans to make use of a assessment course of that features human and automatic commentary.
The new guidelines come whereas many social media platforms are going through rising scrutiny over how they take care of psychological well being points on their platforms. Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and TikTok have all been referred to as out by activists, politicians and their very own customers for the proliferation of utmost weight reduction content material on their platforms, content material that’s sometimes marketed to teenagers.
YouTube, for the reason that begin of the COVID-19 pandemic, has carried out insurance policies geared toward combating what it calls disinformation as nicely. When a video about vaccines or different scorching subjects is posted, a be aware on the backside prompts viewers to additional examine the problem.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com