Have you ever used YouTube to learn more about an illness that may be affecting you? Apparently, it’s something a lot of people do and YouTube has noticed, so it’s going to start highlighting authoritative medical videos on its platform. Dr Garth Graham, Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships at YouTube said the new initiative puts health professionals at the core of its efforts to provide useful information.
From this week, YouTube users in the United States will begin to see the new features when searching for health-related videos. Health source information panels will be shown on videos if the content is from a reliable content creator and health content shelves will highlight authoritative videos when you search for corresponding health issues. While these notices will help to find good quality information, videos from other sources will still be available.
Discussing the work that has gone into this update, Dr Graham said:
“Back in February, YouTube asked an expert panel convened by the National Academy of Medicine to consider the question of how to define “authoritative health content sources” and the ways in which those sources attain and maintain their authority. The expert panel drafted these principles for health sources, which are the first of their kind. We hope that other tech companies will also review and consider how these principles might help inform their work with their own products and platforms.”
As things stand, only accredited health organizations and government entities are included in the health context features rollout but YouTube is searching for ways to broaden the eligibility so more authoritative content is available to viewers. YouTube is also looking for ways to bring this feature to audiences around the world.
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