(Bloomberg) -- YouTube said in June that it would prevent minors from seeing videos that promote do-it-yourself firearms. But minors can still easily access them, according to the Tech Transparency Project.
For a test account that identified as a 14-year-old, YouTube showed videos featuring Glock switches, 3D printing of guns and homemade silencers — all types of content the video app said it would shield from minors’ view, according to the report from the TTP, a research arm of the nonprofit Campaign for Accountability.
Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube has changed course numerous times in its approach to gun-related videos, and the community interested in watching and creating them, known as GunTubers. In 2018, the company blocked many GunTubers from showing ads, only to reverse course later. The balance is tricky; gun industry groups have warned such policies risk stifling free speech, and even gun safety advocates feel YouTube videos can play an important role in boosting awareness about the proper storage of firearms.
Yet government officials are increasingly sounding the alarm about the role YouTube can play in influencing young people.
YouTube’s policy change earlier this year came after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urged the company to step up its moderation of gun-related content shown to minors. An 18-year-old shooter who opened fire in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in 2022, killing 10, was found to have used YouTube videos to plan his attack. The issue was again thrust into the spotlight during the July assassination attempt on Donald Trump — when 20-year-old shooter Thomas Crooks wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo of a popular YouTube gun channel, Demolition Ranch.
“We learned directly through our investigations that its algorithm is driving young individuals to the world of illegal and 3D-printed firearms,” Bragg said in a statement to Bloomberg. “These videos are causing a concrete public safety impact on our communities now, and it is paramount that the company take strong action to restrict access further.”YouTube said its June policy change was developed over the course of several months in consultation with outside experts, adding that enforcement takes time to ramp up. Javier Hernandez, a YouTube spokesperson, said the company would review the TTP report and act if necessary.“We have a robust set of policies that govern what kinds of firearm content can appear and make money on YouTube, as well as policies regarding what young viewers can see,” Hernandez said in a statement. “And we update these over time to reflect the current landscape, as we did earlier this year.”To test the enforcement of YouTube’s policies, the TTP earlier this month created a YouTube profile for a 14-year-old user and ran a series of searches for gun content on Aug. 7. When the user typed “Glock,” a popular semi automatic pistol, YouTube suggested a search for “glock switch.” The top result was a video titled “G17 with a drum and switch ????.” The user was able to watch the video with no restrictions, though YouTube has vowed to keep such content away from minors. Among the results, only one video was blocked, the TTP said.
In response to another query, once the account started typing “how to 3d,” YouTube suggested “how to 3d print a glock switch.” One video shown among the results, part of the YouTube Shorts feature that the service is promoting to rival TikTok, peddled 3D-printed switches for $135.
Researchers also found videos in which gun retailer Duke’s Sports Shop displayed the site’s website and phone number, despite YouTube policies banning gun sales on the platform. One video included a button that lets users buy an animation — one of the ways YouTube lets video-makers earn from their fans. YouTube receives a 30% cut of such sales.
Other videos carried ads for prominent advertisers such as Intuit Inc.’s Credit Karma and the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, who has advocated for gun safety. Duke’s and the Harris campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment.
“YouTube is profiting from its failure to enforce its own firearm policies,” TTP Director Katie Paul said.
Still, some gun industry groups are troubled by the rules that YouTube has already put in place. “YouTube’s decision to censor firearm-related content is short-sighted,” Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president & general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun industry lobbying group, wrote in an email. “They are denying access to safety-focused content that we should be offering to those who wish to pass along to the next generation the American heritage and tradition of legal and responsible firearm ownership.”
YouTube has made some progress in curbing the spread of what advocates consider to be dangerous content. Videos showing how to make ghost guns are less prevalent on the platform today than they were a few years ago, said Justin Wagner, director of investigations at nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, which is funded by Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.
“To us that’s proof positive that they can do this content moderation if they want to,” Wagner said. “It’s a matter of them putting the resources behind it.”
--With assistance from Mark Bergen and Andrew Pollack.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
