YouTube still recommending eating disorder videos to teenagers despite new rules
A report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that YouTube continues to recommend eating disorder content to teenagers a year after implementing new rules aimed at restricting such content.
How it was covered
- BBC News was the only channel found covering it.
- Channel 5, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
YouTube is still recommending eating disorder videos to teenagers, a year after introducing new rules meant to curb harmful content. A report from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that one in ten videos suggested by the platform's Up Next algorithm featured so-called thinspiration, extreme calorie restriction, or other harmful material. The researchers set up a simulated account for a 13-year-old girl who was viewing unsafe diet and body image content for the first time. They noted that the situation had improved over the past two years, but the problem persists. Google, which owns YouTube, said it has a steadfast commitment to stopping the spread of harmful content and that the flagged videos had been removed. The findings raise questions about the effectiveness of self-regulation by tech platforms, especially when it comes to protecting younger users from content that can trigger or worsen eating disorders.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| YouTube's Up Next algorithm continued to recommend eating disorder videos to teenagers a year after new rules, with one in ten recommended videos containing harmful material like thinspiration or extreme calorie restriction. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News focused on the CCDH report's key finding that YouTube's algorithm still recommends harmful eating disorder content to teenagers despite new rules. The report was presented as a clear failure of self-regulation, though the channel also included the researchers' note of improvement and Google's defensive response. The tone was neutral and factual, with no additional commentary or context beyond the report and the company's statement.
- “YouTube is still recommending eating disorder videos to teenagers a year after new rules were introduced to curb harmful online content.”
- “It found one in ten videos recommended by YouTube's Up Next algorithm featured so-called thinspiration, extreme calorie restriction or other harmful material.”
- “Google, which owns YouTube, said it had a steadfast commitment to stopping the spread of harmful content and the videos had been removed.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.