In an attempt to protect teenagers from content that could affect their idea of self and well-being, YouTube has decided to adjust its algorithm globally to restrict content showing non-violent aggression and idealized physical appearances from being promoted to them.

In a blog post, YouTube says that it has identified categories of content that “may be innocuous as a single video” but could “be problematic for some teens if viewed repetitively.”

The decision to restrict categories for teens came from its Youth and Familes Advisory Committee found that “teens are more likely than adults to form negative beliefs about themselves when seeing repeated messages about ideal standards in content they consume online.”

These restricted categories include content that compares physical features and idealizes some types over others, idealizes specific fitness levels or body weights, or displays social aggression in the form of non-contact fights and intimidation.

It says 13 to 17-year-old users will still be able to search for and view fitness-related content – but will not be encouraged into repeated viewing of similar videos.

While restricting the recommendations of videos related to those topics for teens, the platform will also remove content altogether and prevent minors from seeing videos that breach its Community Guidelines policies on child safety, eating disorders, and harassment.

In some countries, mainly across Europe, the company has implemented crisis support resource panels. When users search for certain queries related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders they are redirected to third-party crisis hotlines where they can seek help.

YouTube is also introducing a new supervised experience for teens. As it has done for pre-teens, soon, parents and teens will be able to initiate account linking in the platform’s new Family Centre hub.

In Family Centre, parents can see shared insights into their teens’ channel activity on YouTube including the number of uploads, subscriptions and comments.

Parents (and teens) will also receive proactive email notifications at key events, like when teens upload a video or start a livestream.

There are some limitations to these latest restrictions. Mainly, the video restrictions will only be possible if the user is logged in to a YouTube account – and if they registered an accurate date of birth when signing up. The platform does not verify the age its users claim to be.

Legislation is being rolled out in different parts of the world to protect children and teen from the harmful effects of social medial. New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation barring social media companies from bombarding children with “addictive” feeds on Instagram and TikTok.

In Australia, a survey by mental health service ReachOut this year found that social media is the number one issue of concern among parents and carers of children with 59 per cent saying they were concerned about their child’s use of social media and 55 per cent saying social media had a significant impact on their child’s well-being.

The Peter Malinauskas government in South Australia has appointed former Chief Justice of the High Court Robert French AC to conduct a legal examination into the possibility of banning children under the age of 14 from having social media accounts.

In addition to imposing a ban on all children under the age of 14 having access to a social media account, South Australia would also require parental consent for children aged 14 and 15.