YouTube announced that it will show a new section called "Personal Stories" in search results when users enter health-related queries. The company said that when people search for videos of certain health conditions on YouTube, it will display a panel with videos of people who are diagnosed with these disorders.
The company said it has seen many people turn to the platform to better understand complex things in a digestible way, such as human biology or complicated ailments.
Youtube said that at launch, the Personal Stories section will show videos related to the cancer and conditions of mental health such as anxiety and depression. The company will later expand this feature to cover other topics and regions outside of the US.
While this feature is not intended to obtain medical advice, YouTube has faced much criticism for health-related misinformation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, more than 80 fact-checkers from around the world wrote to YouTube on how to crack down on videos related to COVID misinformation. Definitely, YouTube will face scrutiny of what types of videos are featured in this new “Personal Stories” section and how well they can moderate the featured content.