According to a study, YouTube recommends videos about guns and shooting to kids.

A YouTube algorithm has recommended hundreds of videos about guns and gun violence for accounts of children interested in video games, according to a new study. Some Recommended Content gave instructions on how to convert pistols into machine guns or showed school shootings.

The investigation was carried out Technical Transparency Project (TTP), a non-profit project that tracks the work of major tech. For this study, analysts created four YouTube accounts: two are identified as nine-year-olds and two are identified as 14-year-olds. They then pretended to be minors who enjoyed video games by playing video games on the subject. With a key difference: half of the profiles only saw the material recommended by the platform, while the rest never interacted with it.

The study showed that YouTube was sending content with guns and gunfire to all accounts. However, this was done on a larger scale for users who clicked on recommended videos. In some cases, up to 10 times more. That is, if a minor showed interest in the videos offered by YouTube, the algorithm showed more and more content related to real-world violence.

One video showed a girl of primary school age holding a gun. In another, a man was seen firing a 50-caliber handgun at a fictitious head filled with blood and realistic brains. The team also recorded real scenes showing school shootings and other similar events.

Gun videos and YouTube rules

The findings of the study undermine the guarantees that YouTube offers regarding the security of its algorithms. “YouTube guidelines don’t really direct viewers to extreme content,” wrote Christos Goodrow, then the company’s vice president of engineering, in a 2021 blog post on the platform. “Providing responsible recommendations is our top priority,” he said at the time.

youtube sent 382 weapons videos real fire on an account that pretended to be a nine-year-old boy and that he saw only recommended content. All this in one month, which is an average more than 12 per day. The volume was much higher in 14-year-old users: this showed 1325 videos of real firearms, averaging over 44 per day.

The accounts that ignored the offers did receive some gun-related videos, but far fewer: 34 for nine-year-olds and 172 for 14-year-olds.

“Video games are one of the most popular activities for kids. You can play the game like call of Duty unfinished at the gun store, but YouTube takes them there,” said Kathy Paul, director of TTP. Pennsylvania. “It’s not about the video games, it’s not about the kids. It’s about the algorithms.

Danger behind the screen

YouTube went so far as to recommend on two different days of investigation over 100 gun videos in one day account for 14 years. Some of the content has appeared in the sentences multiple times, including one titled “12 and 14 year olds were VERY fighting with the police,” which shows footage of the nighttime shooting taken by the authorities.

Investigators also found a video titled “How to Put the Switch on a Glock (Educational Purposes Only)” among several others that explained how to use the weapon. YouTube deleted it after a short time, but the owner of the channel that uploaded this material is again with a slight change in the name. Until this week, the video was still available. In addition, it monetized through advertising.

In May 2022, a shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, which killed 10 people and injured three. Most of them were black. According to a report from the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, the 18-year-old shooter learned to aim better, reload firearms faster and modify his rifle by watching YouTube videos.

A 2022 Pew Research survey found Google-owned YouTube to be the most popular social media platform for kids aged 13 to 17 in the United States. 95% of respondents said they use YouTube. TikTok comes closest with 65%. Despite its popularity among the youngest, supports the TTP, YouTube has largely escaped the scrutiny that social media like TikTok and Instagram are under.