At YouTube, we’re committed to connecting you with health content from authoritative sources to help you stay informed and live your healthiest life. We’ve developed several features to give you more context on the health content you find on YouTube.
The features below may not be available in all countries/regions and languages. We're working to bring these features to more countries/regions and languages.
Information panels providing health source context
When you watch a YouTube video on a health-related topic, you may notice an information panel providing context on the source underneath the video. This panel is meant to give you more info to help you better understand the sources of health content that you find and watch on YouTube.
To identify eligible health sources for this feature, we started in the US with a set of principles and definitions developed by a panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) , and reviewed by the American Public Health Association (APHA). These foundational principles were published in a paper called Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes.
As we expand outside of the United States, we’re referencing the work done by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2022, the WHO and NAM convened a meeting of global interdisciplinary experts to review and validate the principles developed for the US for global application. To expand these efforts globally, we may also reference work done by other agencies, such as in the UK.
The latest phase of our work allows us to identify credible sources of health info among individuals and non-accredited organizations. Principles for identifying credible sources were developed by a panel of experts convened in collaboration between the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), NAM and the WHO.
The principles for authoritative health sources developed in the respective papers maintain that sources should be science-based, objective, transparent, and accountable. YouTube used these principles to identify types of health sources than can be considered authoritative:
- Organizations with pre-existing, standardized vetting mechanisms (including healthcare organizations, educational institutions, public health departments, and government organizations). Vetting mechanisms include accreditation, academic journal indexing, and government accountability rules. For more info, review figure 1 in the NAM paper.
- Individuals and non-accredited organizations with health-focused YouTube channels. Individuals and organizations have to apply and pass a series of eligibility checks to get an information panel. As part of that application process, we check that the individual, or an individual from the non-accredited organization who has oversight and review of the channel's content, is a licensed healthcare professional. Currently, this category of health source is eligible to surface in a limited number of countries.
Organizations with pre-existing, standardized vetting mechanisms
| Health source type currently eligible | Pre-existing, standardized vetting mechanism | Expert Panel References |
|---|---|---|
|
Educational Institutions, for example*
* not all examples are included in all countries/regions |
Accreditation Process Example: Accrediting organization for medical schools. |
Appendix B in NAM Paper |
|
Health Care Organizations, for example*
* not all examples are included in all countries/regions |
Accreditation Process Example: Accrediting organization for hospitals. |
Appendix B in NAM Paper |
| Medical Journals |
Academic Journal Indexing Example: health and medical journals “must meet clear standards for ‘scope and coverage, editorial policies and processes’, scientific and methodological rigor, production and administration, and impact”. |
Page 12 in NAM Paper |
| Government Organizations | Government Accountability Rules | Box 7 in NAM Paper |
Individuals and non-accredited organizations with health-focused YouTube channels
| Health source type currently eligible | External mechanism used for eligibility | Expert Panel References |
|---|---|---|
|
Individual licensed health professionals, for example*
* not all examples are included in all countries/regions |
Individual must have an active license to practice their field of expertise in a relevant region Example: Licensing body for doctors |
Table 1 in CMSS/NAM/WHO paper |
|
Non-accredited organizations represented by licensed healthcare professionals, for example*
* not all examples are included in all countries/regions |
Organization must be represented by an individual licensed healthcare professional with oversight and review of the organization’s YT content Example: Licensing body for doctors |
Note: This is our first step toward identifying and designating authoritative health sources on YouTube. The current health sources types are not exhaustive of these categories, and feature eligibility is subject to change. We’re continuing the work to include sources based on these principles and attributes. We’re working on ways to expand eligibility to more types of health sources in these panels.
Note: If an information panel providing health source context has the incorrect label or if a health entity has an incorrect channel or no channel associated with it, submit feedback using #healthinfo.
Note: "WHO online consultation meeting to discuss global principles for identifying credible sources of health information on social media" by the World Health Organization is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
For the UK
In the UK, we worked with the National Health Service to develop an approach to informing which channels would be eligible for an information panel. The National Health Service is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the UK. This approach included the NHS 1) reviewing the principles developed by the expert panel convened by NAM for the UK context and 2) publishing a Standard for Creating Health Content, which outlines essential requirements and best practice guidance for organisations to follow, in order to create high quality health content.
As a starting point in the UK, only NHS organisations are being invited to self-certify against the NHS Standard for Creating Health Content. By completing the self-certification process, an NHS organisation channel will be eligible for information panels indicating NHS credibility.
This approach for the UK was reviewed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC). The AoMRC concluded that this approach helps give a solid basis for determining the authoritativeness of health sources on social media platforms.
Health content shelf
If you search on YouTube for a topic related to a specific physical or mental health condition, you may notice a shelf with health content in your search results. The health content shelf will include videos related to the health topic you searched for and may include content from other countries/regions that match your search language.
We use the principles developed by experts convened by NAM, WHO and CMSS to inform which channels are eligible for the shelf. These principles helped identify an initial list of eligible sources for accredited health organizations, academic medical journals, government entities, and are considered in the application process for individual licensed health professionals and non-accredited organizations.
In the UK, the main government entity for health is the NHS and as such all NHS organisations will be initially eligible. NHS organisation channels must also self-certify against the NHS Standard for Creating Health Content to be eligible for the shelf.
In France, doctors and nurses must be registered with the Répertoire Partagé des Professions de Santé (RPPS). You can read more on the registration process and criteria on their website.
Health content shelves may not be available for all health conditions in search results. We’re working to include more health conditions in the shelves and expand eligibility to more channels.
Health information panels in search
When you search on YouTube for health-related topics, such as COVID-19, you may notice a health information panel in your search results. These panels show info like symptoms, prevention, and treatment options. This info is from authoritative sources like the World Health Organization and other medical institutions.
Health information panels also link you to the institutions’ websites to learn more. We give you this context so you have locally relevant, authoritative info on health-related topics.
In some countries/regions, you may also notice links to clinically confirmed self-assessments from Google or local health authorities. Based on your self-assessment answers, you’ll get more info on what kind of support or medical care might be appropriate for you.
Where the info comes from
We make sure the info in YouTube health information panels comes from government agencies, health ministries, and other respected medical institutions. We’ll continue to develop these panels and include more organizations and health-related topics in the future.
First aid info in search
For select health conditions, the First Aid from Health Sources shelf may be pinned to the top of search results. The shelf will feature easy-to-follow videos with the goal of helping people find first aid resources from authoritative sources in moments of need without reading or listening to complex instructions.
The shelf will show up for a variety of first aid topics, such as CPR, choking and performing the Heimlich maneuver, bleeding, heart attacks, strokes, and seizures, and more.
The shelf is currently only available in the United States in English and Spanish.
When to consult a healthcare professional
Health-related info on YouTube doesn’t apply to everyone and isn’t medical advice. If you have a medical concern, make sure to get in touch with a healthcare provider. If you think you may have a medical emergency, get in touch with your doctor or your local emergency number.
Info YouTube stores about your searches
Health features only surface if your current search or the video you’re watching is related to a health topic. Your watch and search history does not trigger these features, but if you’d like to find and remove your searches, go to your data in YouTube. You can also learn how to view and delete search history.
Report incorrect info
Send feedback if there are issues with the health features on YouTube; or if you have a suggestion:
- Submit feedback via More
in the panels, or
- Send us feedback using the Menu from your profile picture.
- Please include “#healthinfo” in your feedback if you have any of the following feedback about the information panel providing health source context:
- A channel has an incorrect information panel.
- A information panel is on the incorrect channel for a given health entity.
- You believe a channel should have a health source context info panel and it does not - please note that individuals and non-accredited organizations with health-focused YouTube channels will need to apply for access.