Marketers flee YouTube amid ‘abhorrent’ conduct involving videos of kids

Organizations are pulling ads from YouTube following accusations that the platform’s algorithm is assisting child predators.

The boycott came after the viral circulation of a video published by Matt Watson, a YouTube content creator. The video, published Sunday, has nearly 2 million views at time of publication. [Editor’s note: The video contains content that viewers can find disturbing.]

In the video, Watson says:

Every algorithm under the sun is detecting you swear more than two times and make a video about panic attack[s] and depression, and yet this is going on, with adverts playing before them. And it’s been in the public consciousness for over two years, and yet nothing is being done. I’m disgusted.

The New York Times reported:

… For the most part, the videos targeted by pedophiles did not violate YouTube’s rules and were innocent enough — young girls doing gymnastics, playing Twister or stretching — but the videos became overrun with suggestive remarks directed at the children.