Authoritative health information

Overview

When you turn to YouTube for health information, we want you to be empowered to live your healthiest life and to make informed decisions through knowledge, belonging, and inspiration. That’s why we are working with healthcare providers and public healthcare organizations to provide you with easy-to-understand video content that can help educate and inspire you.

Applying principles for authoritative health sources

When it comes to finding health information online, we know it’s important to have access to information provided by authoritative health sources. To identify such sources, we started by using the principles and definitions developed by a panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in the United States, and reviewed by the American Public Health Association (APHA). As we expand outside of the United States, we are using the work done by the World Health Organization (WHO) outlining guidance on global application of the principles. In the UK, we worked with the National Health Service (NHS) to develop an approach to informing which channels would be eligible for health features that is appropriate for the UK context.

NAM is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together top experts in health, medicine, and biomedical science to provide unbiased, evidence-based guidance about health and science. The APHA is a professional association of public health practitioners that advocates for public health issues and policies backed by science. The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The NHS is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the UK.

The expert panel convened by NAM published foundational principles that can be used to guide identification of potentially credible online health sources in a paper called Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes. The WHO and NAM recently convened a meeting of interdisciplinary experts from around the world to review and validate these principles for global application. In the UK, the NHS reviewed the principles for the UK context and also created the NHS Standard for Creating Health Content that NHS organizations must self-certify against to be eligible for a health source information panel or to be featured in the health content shelves. The principles for authoritative health sources in these papers include that sources should be science-based, objective, transparent and accountable.

As we begin to adopt principles for authoritative health sources, we are starting with organizations with pre-existing, standardized vetting mechanisms such as healthcare organizations, educational institutions, public health departments and government organizations.* Vetting mechanisms include accreditation, academic journal indexing and government accountability rules. We’re exploring ways to broaden eligibility and evaluate inclusion of other health sources, as well as ways to expand these features globally.

*Current sources are not exhaustive of these categories, we are continuing work to include sources based on these principles and attributes.

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.

Providing health source context

When looking for health information online, it can be difficult to determine the authority or credibility of various sources of information. Context is critical when evaluating information, which is why we provide contextual information panels alongside videos that have been identified as authoritative sources for health information. To identify authoritative health sources, we used principles and definitions developed by a panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and verified by the WHO. In the UK, initially only NHS organizations are currently eligible for the information panels indicating NHS credibility. NHS channels must self-certify against the NHS Standard for Creating Health Content to be eligible for an information panel. Information panels providing health source context can help you better evaluate if a source is an accredited organization or government health source. These panels can also provide additional context on how sources are defined.

*Feature availability varies by country and we are working to expand to more countries.

*Health-related information 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.

Raising authoritative health sources

To make it easier for you to find content from authoritative health sources when you search on YouTube, you may see a health content shelf when you search for certain health topics, such as diabetes or breast cancer. These shelves include videos from authoritative sources that have been identified by applying principles developed by an expert panel convened by the National Academy of Medicine and verified by the WHO. In the UK, NHS organization channels must also self-certify against the NHS Standard for Creating Health Content to be eligible for the shelf.

*Feature availability varies by country and we are working to expand to more countries.

*Health-related information 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.

Highlighting helpful health context

When you search on YouTube for health-related topics, such as COVID-19 or depression, you may see information panels on YouTube that show health information from authoritative sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the World Health Organization. These panels include information such as symptoms, treatment, and prevention, and also allow you to go to the third party’s website to learn more. In some countries or regions, you may notice links to clinically confirmed self-assessment tools from local health authorities. Based on your self-assessment answers, you can find more information on what kind of support or medical care might be appropriate for you.

*Feature availability varies by country and we are working to expand to more countries.

*Health-related information 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.

Topics prone to misinformation

For searches related to health topics that may be prone to misinformation, such as COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccine, you may see information panels on YouTube featuring links to independent third party resources, such as the World Health Organization. In some places, you’ll see information on COVID-19 in local languages that links to local sources, such as health ministries and centers for disease control. The panel will be visible on the YouTube homepage, in search results for queries related to COVID-19, and on the watch page for videos related to COVID-19. These panels are intended to help you find third-party authoritative COVID-19 information or COVID-19 vaccine information and are not a judgment on the accuracy of any video.

We also have several policies in our Community Guidelines that are directly applicable to misinformation. The COVID-19 Medical Misinformation policy doesn't allow content that spreads medical misinformation that contradicts local health authorities’ or the World Health Organization’s (WHO) medical information about COVID-19.

*Feature availability varies by country and we are working to expand to more countries.

*Health-related information 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.

Crisis resources

When you search for topics related to health crises or emotional distress, like suicide or self-harm, a crisis resource panel may appear alongside your search results. These panels let you connect with live support 24/7 from recognized crisis resources. If you want to learn more, the crisis resource panel also links you to the resource’s website. We want to give you information that’s helpful and timely, so you can’t dismiss the crisis resource panel right now.

*Feature availability varies by country and we are working to expand to more countries.

*Crisis resource panels may not be available in all countries/regions and languages. We're working to bring crisis resource panels to more countries/regions.

*Health-related information 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.

Respecting your privacy

We understand at YouTube that when you use our platform, you’re trusting us to respect your privacy, especially when it comes to looking for health content. That’s a big responsibility and we work hard to protect your information and put you in control, which is why we offer you easy to use privacy controls. To manage or delete your search or watch history, you can go to Your data in YouTube. You can also browse YouTube while incognito for more private viewing.

We are also dedicated to following advertising regulations for healthcare and medicine, so we expect that ads and destinations follow appropriate laws and industry standards. Learn more about our advertising policies for healthcare and medicines and personalized advertising.