The update is about giving parents tools to support teenagers in using the platform.
Parents and teenagers can now link their accounts and receive notifications when the teenager starts a live broadcast or uploads a video. Certain channel activity, such as subscriptions and comments, will also be shared if the tool is used.
We want to encourage engagement between parents and teenagers, it should be a help in conversations about content, says Garth Graham, head of Youtube Health, to TT.
"Good but not enough"
Lina Eklund, associate professor of human data and interaction at Uppsala University, thinks the update is good but not enough. Young people who are at risk of being negatively affected by social media often have parents who are not as engaged, she argues.
It places extremely high demands on parents. We see in research that parents cannot handle it. Youtube is also one of several different apps, which almost makes it impossible to keep track, she says.
Blocks certain videos
The debate about social media contributing to distorted body ideals, especially among young girls, has been going on for a long time. Youtube now wants to limit a type of video that they believe can be harmful in large quantities.
Part of the update is about teenagers no longer being repeatedly recommended videos that "compare physical characteristics" or content with "specific weight and training".
It's certainly easy to get around it. You can enter a different age on the account or make your own searches. I see positively on their attempt to limit the unconscious consumption pattern, but it's hard to know how effective it will be, says Lina Eklund.
According to the report "Svenskarna och internet 2023" by Internetstiftelsen, one-third of Swedes use Youtube every day. Among 00- and 10-year-olds, two out of three are on Youtube daily.
Youth under 18 years old will no longer be repeatedly recommended videos with content that, for example, "compares physical characteristics". For the update to work, the young person must be logged in and have entered the correct age.
The same applies to linked accounts. A login and correct age entry are required. Linking accounts between teenagers and guardians is voluntary, the child must approve a request from the guardian.
When linking accounts, search history is not shared between users.
The changes to Youtube's service took place in the USA in November but are only now coming to Sweden.
Source: Youtube
