According to the study, which was conducted by researchers at the “Technical Transparency Project” website, the video clips recommended instructions on how to convert ordinary weapons into automatic weapons, in addition to scenes showing shootings in schools. Young gamer accounts, created by the researchers behind the study, were also recommended for videos that contained a high percentage of scenes related to guns and shooting.
The study stated that many of the videos violated the platform’s own policies on firearms, violence, and child safety, noting that the company did not take any clear steps to restrict them to the age group.
Dahmer is an American serial killer who killed young males regardless of their nationality, killed most of his victims by suffocation, then dismembered their bodies and skinned them and kept their skeletons or parts of them, and sometimes he kept whole parts of the body and ate them. Jeffrey committed his first crime at the age of 18 and his first victim was 19 years old.
The researchers created four YouTube accounts, two of which belonged to two children who were allegedly nine years old, while the other two were 14 years old. The researchers validated each account’s interest in video games by viewing playlists composed entirely of gaming videos. They then recorded and analyzed the videos recommended by the YouTube algorithm for the four children’s accounts, with two of the nine and fourteen-year-olds showing interest in the recommended clips, while the other two ignored the lists and did not interact with them.
The study found that YouTube pushed clips containing gunfire and weapons to all players’ accounts, but with a much higher volume for users who clicked on recommended videos. This contradicts the site’s assurances that its algorithms are secure.
The vice president of engineering at YouTube stated in a post on the company’s blog for the year 2021 that the site “has made making responsible recommendations a top priority for us” and that “recently published research papers conclude that the recommended videos do not actually direct viewers towards extremist content.” .
A Pew Research Center survey last year found that YouTube, owned by Google, is the most popular social networking platform for 13-17-year-olds, yet it has escaped official scrutiny largely because of the focus. On other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
For its part, a spokeswoman for “YouTube” confirmed that the platform is keen to protect children from any violent or unacceptable content. She said in press statements that users under the age of 17 must obtain the consent of their parents before entering the site, and confirmed that the accounts of users under the age of 13 are linked to the parents’ account. “We offer a number of options for young viewers. The platform is designed to create a safer experience for teens,” she added.
