YouTube to highlight health videos from official sources

YouTube has announced it will introduce new features aimed at promoting health-related searches and videos from credible sources.

The features form part of YouTube’s attempts to identify and designate authoritative health sources.

“In our increasingly digital world, the next phase in health communication is video, where we can connect with people and answer their questions in a way that is both visual and personal,” Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships, Dr Garth Graham, wrote in a statement.

The features include health source information panels on videos. The panels will help users identify videos from credible sources.

The sources include accredited health organisations and government entities.

YouTube will also introduce health content shelves that highlight videos from the selected sources. The shelves appear when users search for specific health topics.

“These context cues are aimed at helping people more easily navigate and evaluate credible health information,” Graham explained.

Videos from other sources will continue to appear in users’ search results.

In February, YouTube convened an expert panel to define authoritative health sources and draft new principles regarding them. It said it hoped other tech companies will follow suit and adopt the principles on their platforms.

YouTube will roll the features out this week starting with verified sources in the US.

It said it is exploring ways to broaden the eligibility of other sources and introduce the features in other countries.

Featured image: Unsplash/Christian Wiediger

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