It seems that YouTube has been suggesting films of guns to children who are watching video game content.
It is the desire of Alvin Bragg, the District Attorney for Manhattan, to meet with Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, in order to examine the reasons behind the website’s decision to permit the uploading of videos on how to make “ghost guns” and the reasons why its algorithm is promoting these videos to viewers who are under the age of 18 who watch video game content. Ghost guns are firearms that are manufactured using components that have been acquired as kits or parts that have been 3D printed. This indicates that they do not have serial numbers, which makes it extremely difficult to track them down, and that they do not require any form of background check in order to be acquired.
In the letter that Bragg addressed to Mohan (PDF) requesting a meeting, he made reference to a study that was carried out by the Tech Transparency Project in 2023. In this study, the Tech Transparency Project created four test YouTube accounts and provided them with the profiles of teenagers aged 9 and 14 years old. It would appear that after watching at least one hundred films related to gaming, the algorithm on YouTube began proposing videos that taught them how to create ghost weapons. It makes no difference if they had only ever seen gameplay footage for Call of Duty and had never engaged with any content that featured actual firearms. Even though they were meant to be underage, YouTube continued to upload films of real guns to their accounts, in addition to other videos related to violence, such as those of school shootings and serial killers. In addition, Bragg brought to YouTube’s attention the fact that there is no method for parents or guardians to disable the recommendations that are associated with the website through the parental settings.
According to what Bragg wrote, a significant number of young people who are being investigated for gun ownership in New York City have stated that they learnt how to build ghost guns from browsing YouTube. The District Attorney stated that YouTube should be more proactive in removing those films, should ensure that they are prevented from being uploaded in the future, and should offer viewers with a method to turn off suggestions. This is despite the fact that the company does remove those videos when they are detected by gun safety groups. When considering the fact that the website does have a policy that prohibits the publishing of films with the intention of selling firearms or instructing viewers on how to build them, this is especially true. The Manhattan District Attorney will “carefully review” the films that YouTube shares with the company, according to a statement released by YouTube to the New York Daily News. YouTube also reaffirmed its commitment to “removing any content that violates [its]policies.”