Google launches Safety Mode for wary YouTube users

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

YouTube viewers who don’t want to see inappropriate material on the site can now control what videos are available to them with the help of a Safety Mode.

When a user opts in to Safety Mode, videos containing mature content, objectionable material, or age restrictions will be filtered out of the site’s search results. If a user inputs a direct link to a mature video, Safety Mode blocks viewing.

YouTube’s new Safety Mode also hides comments by default. If the user chooses to view comments, any objectionable words will be censored.

A screen shot of YouTube’s new Safety Mode. Credit: YouTube

Parents who want to keep mature content away from their kids also have the option of ‘locking’ Safety Mode. When they see the Safety Mode option at the bottom of any YouTube video page, they can choose to opt in to the service and lock that preference with a password. That setting will be locked until the password is input to change it. Unlike Google’s SafeSearch, which allows visitors to use ‘moderate’ or ‘strict’ filtering rules when viewing pictures in Google Search, YouTube’s Safety Search can only be toggled on or off.

According to Google, Safety Mode works browser-wide, rather than being limited to a single user name. Therefore, anyone accessing YouTube videos from the same browser, regardless of whether they have a separate YouTube account or if they’re logged in, will be blocked from viewing mature content.

Google is rolling out YouTube’s Safety Mode feature in steps. Some users began seeing the option Wednesday. Others will have it available in the near future.

-- Don Reisinger