The change will allow viewers to more easily access videos containing “high-quality health information,” YouTube said.
“This is a big step towards helping people more easily find and connect with content that comes from the extraordinary community of healthcare professionals on YouTube,” it added.
In addition to doctors and nurses, mental health professionals and healthcare information providers may apply for YouTube verification, which helps consumers easily find their videos.
“This new step will allow us to expand to include high-quality information from a wider group of healthcare channels,” the company said.
According to the National Academy of Medicine, 90 percent of Americans use social media to search for health information.
Last year, YouTube was chastised for allowing videos that discredited Covid-19 vaccines or contradicted World Health Organization or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health advice. In response, it banned misleading and false content concerning vaccines in September 2021.
It also introduced a limited program that permitted movies produced by public health departments, hospitals, and governments, among other groups, to be labeled as official. That program is now being expanded.
To be eligible for the program, healthcare practitioners must provide documentation of their professional licenses, follow best practices for disseminating science-based health information, and maintain an active YouTube channel, according to the company. YouTube, based in San Bruno, California, has around two billion monthly active users.
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