Child safety

In February, a landmark trial in Los Angeles found YouTube’s parent company, Google, liable over claims that its addictive platform harmed a young woman, known as KGM. She started using YouTube at six years old and later developed an addiction to social media that contributed to body dysmorphia and mental health issues. YouTube’s algorithms have the power to shape what people are watching and can seriously harm vulnerable users. CCDH tested the platform’s protection in the US, UK, and EU, and found that it still recommends harmful eating disorders videos to accounts registered as 13-year-old girls. Our investigation also found that YouTube can reduce these harms. Harmful eating disorder recommendations fell from an average of 1 in 3 videos in 2024 to 1 in 9 in 2026. The improvements followed new safety obligations under the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) and the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), showing that social media platforms can address harms when lawmakers hold them accountable. Progress matters. But one harmful recommendation to a child is one too many. YouTube must stop recommending harmful eating disorder content altogether.