Videos featuring exposed genitals and Super Virgin (2012)other body parts of children as young as five are pervasive on YouTube and watched and commented on in huge numbers, a Wiredreport has found.
The videos, some of which generate millions of views, are often accompanied by predatory comments from people sharing the timestamps of when genitals are exposed or when a child does the splits.
SEE ALSO: YouTube changes 'strike' policy for first-time offendersPer Wired, some of the videos in question are exploitative in nature, while others are videos of children -- sometimes uploaded by the children themselves -- doing regular activities such as yoga and gymnastics.
The investigation found that YouTube's algorithm actively recommended videos popular with predatory commentators. "Those videos – typically of children simply going about their lives – were (...) recommended by an algorithm that decided within a few videos that our main interest was in little girls flashing their crotches," the Wired report states.
Some comments on these videos include recommendations for other videos featuring children. Comment threads — which are often not in English — include people exchanging WhatsApp numbers with the promise of sharing more content off YouTube.
The report also finds that these videos are often monetised by YouTube, as they are in many cases accompanied by pre-roll and banner ads from major companies. This is despite YouTube's own claim that the platform is "99 percent effective at ensuring that adverts only appear on appropriate content."
YouTube announced in 2017 they would be blocking "inappropriate sexual or predatory comments on videos featuring minors," but according to Wired, many videos featuring children did not have comments disabled.
YouTube previously addressed the issue of predatory commentators in 2017, when it removed more than 150,000 videos, and said that, "Content that endangers children is abhorrent and unacceptable to us."
A YouTube spokesperson told Wired: “When we find content that is in violation of our policies, we immediately stop serving ads or remove it altogether.”
YouTube did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.
UPDATE: Feb. 21, 2019, 9:54 a.m. GMTA YouTube spokesperson wrote in a statement sent to Mashable: “Any content - including comments - that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube. We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities and disabling violative comments. There's more to be done, and we continue to work to improve and catch abuse more quickly.”
Topics YouTube
Best soundbar deal: Save $300 on the Sonos Arc
2024 Oscar Best Picture nominees: Here's how to watch them all
Apple AirPods Pro might get a 'hearing aid' feature with iOS 18
Goldfish, released into the wild, are somehow surviving in saltwater
How to Settle Down with Dystopia
2024 Oscar Best Picture nominees: Here's how to watch them all
John Mulaney's 'Field of Dreams' Oscars bit proves he should've hosted
The AirPods Pro are back down to a record low price
44 GPU Fortnite Benchmark: The Best Graphics Cards for Playing Battle Royale
When to buy a Mac: Best times to buy MacBook or iMac
U.N. confirms the ocean is screwed
Best free online courses from MIT
Meta's new AI tools will get you shopping even more on Instagram
Hurricane Maria is the one to worry about, out of 3 Atlantic storms
Virtual Reality: The True Cost of Admission (and Why It Doesn't Matter)
Emma Stone wins her second Best Actress Oscar for 'Poor Things'
Mike Pence disses U.S. space leadership as astronauts risk lives
President Trump's Puerto Rico visit was singularly weird and offensive
NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve Connections #237
Best MacBook Air deal: Get the 15
Being a Total Bore Is Kind of InterestingWhere We Live: David Graham’s Photos of American HomesYou can finally buy Apple's $19 polishing cloth againWordle today: Here's the answer and hints for September 23The Golden Ratio—Not Always a Thing of BeautyGian Lorenzo Bernini’s Sculptures Aim to Capture the SoulA Perfect Summer Song—Erasmo Carlos’s 26 Anos de Vida NormalNew on Our Masthead: Susannah Hunnewell and Adam ThirlwellWindows 11 is going passwordless. Here's what you'll be using instead.Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 handsJoe Rogan's COVID lies prompt an open letter and a new round of backlash for SpotifyLeon Golub’s “Riot” & the Art World’s Political BlindnessIntroducing Our New Video Series, “My First Time”Greece lifts decadesDesigns for Motion: Jean Tinguely’s Useless Machines'Exhausted' kid shoveling snow goes viralThe 11 best and funniest tweets of week, including Kendall Roy, cast iron, and retweetsOn Happiness and AppetiteIntroducing Our New Summer IssueHow to Get Over Your Depression TikTok Book Awards: Here are the first ever winners On Effort and Letting Go by Salvatore Scibona Beach Life by The Paris Review Spend $80 on P&G products and get a $20 Amazon credit X's new mobile logo looks like bad distressed jeans CU vs. UM basketball without cable: Game time, streaming deals, and more How to watch OSU vs. PSU basketball without cable: game time, streaming deals, and more That amazing Google Gemini video was heavily edited Poetry Rx: Remember the Sky That You Were Born Under by Kaveh Akbar Nintendo Switch OLED vs. Steam Deck OLED Redux: A Pin 20 jobs in jeopardy due to AI, according to new study. Is yours on the list? On Summer Crushing by Hanif Abdurraqib Welcoming Our New Digital Director, Craig Morgan Teicher by The Paris Review REI Labor Day Sale: Save on tents, hiking apparel, smart watches, and more We Are All Scared by What We Aren’t Saying by T Fleischmann Wordle today: The answer and hints for December 9 UK vs. Penn basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming deals, and more In Summer We’re Reborn by Nina MacLaughlin Wordle today: The answer and hints for December 10
1.6969s , 10132.65625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Super Virgin (2012)】,Unobstructed Information Network