In a bid to provide accurate and credible health information to users, YouTube is bringing two new features to the Indian market.
They are: 'Health source information panel' and 'Health content shelves'. YouTube India said that the new features, which will be available in English and Hindi, will help people to easily access videos from verified health sources.
These features, which are already available in the US, are designed to tackle misinformation around health topics.
Explained: The two new features
YouTube's health source information panels feature will identify videos from original sources and label them. The aim is that users searching for health-related content on YouTube will be able to pick up videos from accredited health organisations and government entities immediately.
"This panel is meant to give you more information to help you better understand the sources of health content that you find and watch on YouTube," the Google-owned platform said. This feature is its first step toward identifying and designating authoritative health sources on YouTube. The platform is also working on ways to expand eligibility to more types of health sources in these panels.
With the health content shelves functionality, videos from certified sources will pop up as search results on the platform. Videos related to accredited health organisations, and government entities are eligible for these shelves. For instance, if a viewer is watching a video on, say, lung cancer by Fortis Hospitals, a label will appear beneath it, highlighting that it is from a credible source. Health information panels also provide link to the institutions’ websites, which means users can also click it to learn more.
Basically, the idea is to provide more context to users in order to help them identify videos from authoritative sources.
YouTube said that it is using principles developed by a panel of experts convened by the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and WHO to point out these sources for the two new health-focused features.
With these new features, YouTube India hopes to combat health-related misinformation on its platform.
