YouTube aimed for 'viewer addiction' over child safety, documents reveal
What's the story
Internal documents and chat logs from YouTube have revealed that the platform's employees were aware of their efforts to promote "viewer addiction." The shocking revelation comes from court documents reviewed by The Post. These records were unsealed ahead of a series of landmark trials this summer in Oakland, California. Google-owned YouTube, as well as Meta, Snap, and TikTok are named as defendants in these cases.
Confirmation
VP of engineering confronted with an internal email
In a deposition last March, John Harding, a long-serving vice president of engineering at YouTube, was confronted with an internal email from June 7, 2012. The message stated that "the goal is not viewership, it's viewer addiction." Harding confirmed the authenticity of the email but denied responsibility by claiming it was about a "video creation app" that "wasn't even built for viewers."
Discrepancy
Internal records contradict previous addiction denials
The revelations from the Oakland federal case contradict public statements from executives who have maintained that the app was never intended to be addictive. They also claimed any negative impact on kids is due to third-party content, not deliberate design choices. During a state trial last month, YouTube executive Cristos Goodrow testified that the app was "not designed to maximize time" and the company doesn't "want anybody to be addicted."
Presentation
YouTube is designed with intention of being addictive
The federal case in Oakland features an internal YouTube presentation from April 2018, linking "excessive video watching" to addiction. The document notes it provides a "quick fix" of dopamine and includes a flow chart titled "addiction cycle." It shows how "guilt" acts as an emotional trigger leading to "craving, ritual, and using." The document also states that researchers believe YouTube is designed with the intention of being addictive.
Research findings
Millions of heavy users on the platform
YouTube's own 2018 research estimated that a staggering 32 million users aged between 13 and 24 years were "habitual heavy use" and watched more than two hours of videos per day. Another 36 million users aged between 18 and 24 admitted they regretted how much time they spent on YouTube in the past week. An internal presentation slide showed survey research indicating video watching is a common technique for mood management but difficult to stop watching.
Acknowledgment
Employees flagged infinite feed harms
In an internal presentation titled "Teen (Unsupervised) Viewer Wellbeing and Safety," YouTube employees acknowledged that the app's "infinite feed" was a major problem. They noted that video recommendations can "normalize unhealthy beliefs or behaviors" and prolonged use can displace valuable activities like time with friends or sleep. The documents, spanning from 2012 to 2025, were unsealed in late February by the Tech Oversight Project, an online watchdog group.
Autoplay concerns
YouTube did not pursue sleep tools
In a discussion about YouTube's autoplay feature on September 14, 2021, one employee asked if the team had considered tools to "helping users fall asleep." A project manager responded that while it was considered, it wasn't pursued due to lower ROI compared to other projects. In a 2019 "strategy offsite" presentation, employees noted that YouTube's goal of increasing daily usage frequency isn't aligned with their efforts to improve digital well-being.