(Gabriela Mendoza / Daily Titan)
It’s no secret that YouTube has made a huge impact on the digital landscape. Since its debut in 2005, the tech startup has evolved into a mainstay of society that’s become a popular outlet for aspiring content creators, humorous videos and how-to tutorials.
However, YouTube’s history with advertisements hasn't always been pleasing, especially with controversies that could’ve been prevented on YouTube’s end.
The running trend showcases ads everywhere with scantily-clad women or suggestive implications that seem to come without warning and on a service that is accessible to everyone. But, it has to stop circulating, especially because the ads could be seen by children.
A common explanation for the ads’ sudden appearance on YouTube can be attributed to the site’s advertisement algorithm. When a user logs onto YouTube and searches up content they want to watch, the algorithm does its best to match the user with advertisements based on trends in their viewing history. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s one that works. YouTube’s advertisements are sourced from an ad service developed by their parent company, Google Ads, which ultimately decides which ads run based on certain preferences.
Now, lewd ads have adapted to current trends popular with children. For example, if a user searches up Among Us content on YouTube, the ad algorithm will match the user with ads relating to that game. But what happens when the ads in question are not child-friendly?
No one is regulating what could show up and that is not OK.
The proliferation of these ads on YouTube serve no purpose beyond appealing to an explicit interest.
The common denominator with these lewd ads is that they are sexual by nature, and they are sexual with the intent to deceive. While these ads may be acceptable on other sites with different general audiences, it is certainly not acceptable on YouTube.
According to the site’s advertising guidelines, ads showcasing “assets with nudity, or that include racy or sexually suggestive topics” are not allowed. But it’s a claim that starkly contrasts the current state of the site’s advertisements, and YouTube is to blame for it all. Lewd ads themselves aren’t the problem. Lewd ads on YouTube are the problem, especially if the ads are intentionally deceptive and possibly exposed to children.
On the other hand, YouTube isn’t a site for young children. In fact, the site’s terms of service requires users to be over 13 years old just to browse. Young children can’t browse the site, and can avoid these ads by simply not logging onto YouTube. But the children who browse regardless, state that their ages are 18 or above so they can access the restricted videos. By doing this, they are placing themselves front and center to these ads, which is out of YouTube’s control.
According to a report by Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Common Sense Media, one in five ads viewed by young children under the age of eight were inappropriate, as they featured violent and sexual topics. Obscene and lewd ads on YouTube pop up randomly, giving parents no leverage to regulate the content their children are watching.
However, YouTube can control the ads that are allowed to run on the website as a whole, even if children may or may not be browsing. Even with the age requirement set for browsing, minors shouldn’t be coming across these ads at all.
There needs to be a strict system that reviews the ads displayed on YouTube, especially when it comes to ads that are inspired by the search history of incognito children. During review, a Google Ads agent should determine if an ad is suitable for various websites that the ad service operates on, including YouTube.
YouTube’s current revenue is about $7 billion, and a huge portion is single handedly carried by ads. Even if Google Ads started denying ads of this nature altogether, the video-streaming site would not lose much.
These kinds of ads should become obsolete in the future, but YouTube first has to take into account the vulnerable audiences that engage and scroll giddily on their app.
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September 29, 2021 at 07:42AM
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YouTube must regulate vulgar advertisements | Opinion | dailytitan.com - The Daily Titan
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