Despite YouTube's Age Restriction Policy,
Most Videos Remain Unrestricted for Months
Easy Production Raises Concerns Over Imitation Content
A scene from a pair figure skating competition appears in a YouTube Shorts video. The moment when the male skater lifts the female skater emphasizes specific physical contact, creating a composition that would not be seen in an actual pair competition. This is a crude video generated by artificial intelligence (AI), yet it has garnered as many as 23 million views.
Recently, sexually suggestive videos produced by AI have been spreading rapidly. Despite recording tens of millions of views, critics point out that basic protective measures, such as age restrictions, are not functioning properly.
According to YouTube and other sources on December 9, sexually explicit AI videos have recorded anywhere from hundreds of thousands to more than 30 million views. In particular, content that highlights certain body parts in the video preview image tends to be recommended more frequently. The higher the view count, the greater the advertising revenue for both the uploader and the platform.
Under its operating policy, YouTube is supposed to apply an "age restriction" if sexual content is detected. However, the majority of these videos have not been subjected to any restrictions even after several months.
As platform oversight remains insufficient, concerns are growing about the further spread of similar content. Since generative AI videos can be created with just a simple text prompt, there is a high possibility that imitation content will increase.
In South Korea, there are regulations in place to penalize the creation of "non-consensual synthetic content" using AI. However, there is virtually no regulation specifically addressing sexually suggestive AI videos targeting unspecified individuals.
Overseas, legislation to strengthen platform accountability is advancing rapidly. The European Union has imposed obligations to swiftly remove harmful content through the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the United Kingdom has codified requirements to block content harmful to youth and children through the Online Safety Act.
Yoo Hyunseok, Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sogang University, stated, "We now have an environment where anyone can easily produce AI-based videos," adding, "It is necessary to strengthen platform accountability to prevent the spread of sexually explicit content."
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