Video platform YouTube has announced a new experimental feature “aimed at providing a safer search experience for all users.” The service will begin blurring video previews in search results for certain queries “that often include sexual themes.”
Image source: YouTube
According to an update in the Community section of the platform’s technical support, the new feature is currently available to a limited number of users. The service does not specify which videos with sexual content will be displayed with blurred thumbnails in search results, but notes that the video titles, the name of the channel that published the video, and its description will remain visible. Users will also be able to turn off the blurriness in the settings.
The limited test rollout of the new feature is aimed at the platform “to understand whether it helps users avoid accidentally viewing content that may align with YouTube’s Community Guidelines but is also sensitive in nature.”
Unlike SafeSearch, which can either blur or filter results in Google’s search engine, YouTube’s new experimental feature will not hide results. In its current form, it’s intended to provide an extra layer of protection to prevent children or unsuspecting users from encountering potentially inappropriate content immediately when viewing search results.