With so many videos on the web these days, parents will be relieved to know YouTube is working on ways to filter out offensive content for younger, more impressionable viewers.
But some vloggers are noticing videos by the LGBT community have been put in the streaming site’s censorship crosshairs.
YouTube’s “Restricted Mode” is designed to “use community flagging” and other restrictions to “identify and filter out potentially inappropriate content.”
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And apparently, this “inappropriate content” includes informational vids from popular LGBTQ+ creators!
Tyler Oakley recently learned one of his newest videos, “8 Black LGBTQ+ Trailblazers Who Inspire Me,” was blocked under Restricted Mode.
He explained on Twitter:
still not fixed. one of my recent videos “8 Black LGBTQ+ Trailblazers Who Inspire Me” is blocked because of this. i’m perplexed, @YouTube. https://t.co/MrGBmPum1a
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) March 19, 2017
until we hear back from @youtube, please actively check on all LGBTQ+ creators you’re subscribed to & continue to support their content.
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) March 19, 2017
The popular vlogger said this new community-based censorship could have negative effects on the LGBT community, and goes against what the streaming site has always represented. He told Teen Vogue:
“YouTube has always been a place for disenfranchised voices to reach audiences who are actively seeking representation in media. It’s often the first place many LGBTQ+ youth around the world see themselves and their stories shared and celebrated. Blocking LGBTQ+ creators and content is harmful, plain and simple.”
Other YouTubers agree — and are frustrated that the current censorship process allows public bias to decide what content is “offensive.”
Vlogger Seaine Love took to Twitter to vent about her videos about being transgender were all blocked under Restricted Mode, writing:
ALL 3 OF MY RECENT VIDEOS (ABOUT ME BEING TRANS) ARE GONE AFTER YOU TURN ON HE AGE RESTRICTION FILTER I’M SO UPSET. ├░┼╕╦£┬í https://t.co/IpVnL7zfph
— Seaine (@SeaineLove) March 17, 2017
Clearly, this new feature is taking the streaming site in the opposite direction.
YouTube has always been a sanctuary of self-expression, and censoring those voices at the request of biased users can be detrimental for those young viewers who need that outlet.
[Image via YouTube.]
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