Youtube's updates policies on eating disorder content, Here's what changes

Youtube is updating its policies regarding eating disorder-related videos to share more authoritative and high-quality content with the viewers

The widely used video-sharing platform, Youtube, is updating its policies for eating disorder content. Youtube has removed long content that glorifies or promotes eating disorders, and now youtube will prevent content featuring imitable behaviour. 

The prohibited content includes videos showing or describing eating behaviours, such as purging after eating or severely restricting calories, and weight-based bullying. 

The Company is closely working with NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) and others to understand what imitable behaviour is, how it can show up in content and most importantly, how it is hampering viewers.

Age restriction on certain videos

Youtube believes that content containing EDSA or discussing disordered eating behaviours in the context of recovery is still not suitable for all ages.

Hence, youtube is adding its age restriction for certain content composed of eating disorders. 

"We may age-restrict videos where a creator details disordered eating behaviours they've engaged in while sharing their recovery journey," youtube wrote in its blog.

Eating disorder crisis resource panels under videos

Currently, a crisis resource panel is available at the top of the search results for eating disorders in the US, UK, India, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, France and Germany.

This crisis resource panel provides resources and information from global mental health support organisations such as NEDA in the U.S. or the Vandrevala Foundation in India.

The youtube blog also wrote, "Panels will be available in each of these country's official language(s), and we’ll work in the future to launch in even more countries and languages."

Youtube's new policy update aims to raise or upgrade health information on the platform and connect people to high-quality content.