It’s happened to all of us. You’re watching YouTube and then the site serves up another video that interests you. You watch that one, then another. Then, you’re suddenly sucked into a black hole of anti-vaxxers and 9/11 truthers. How did that happen? What is YouTube doing?
Today, the site announced some changes to their app that should help you steer clear of the weird conspiracy videos and keep your focus on the channels you like.
Block channels you don’t like from recommendations
If you see a recommendation from a channel you don’t want to see, tap the three-dot menu next to a video on the homepage or Up Next, then click “Don’t recommend channel.” This feature is available now on Android and iOS. It will be rolling out to the desktop site soon.
Discover why channels are recommended
Wondering why your YouTube journey is taking a hard turn into the land of the crazies? Now, YouTube will explain why it’s suggesting certain videos to you. That information will display under the video in a small box. That feature is available on iOS now, and will extend to Android and desktop soon.
These new features won’t get rid of the worst videos on YouTube, but they can help make the platform a little friendlier for those of us who don’t want to hear how jet fuel can’t melt steel beams.