Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
- YouTube has started testing a new feature that automatically blurs thumbnails for videos featuring mature content.
- The experimental feature is available to a few users and works only on videos that appear as search results for queries that include sexual themes.
- Instagram has had a similar feature for years that automatically blurs images and Reels featuring sensitive content.
YouTube is borrowing a page from Instagram’s handbook to protect users from accidental exposure to mature content. The platform has started testing a new feature that automatically blurs thumbnails for videos that may contain sexually explicit content.
YouTube says this experimental feature aims to provide a safer search experience for all users. It is currently available to a small percentage of viewers and only blurs thumbnails for videos that appear in search results for queries that “frequently include sexual themes.” YouTube has clarified that the feature does not hide the video title, channel name, and description, and even offers users an option to unblur the thumbnails.