YouTube is rolling out an experimental feature to make its platform a little more “family-safe.” Thanks to this, you might soon start seeing blurred thumbnails for NSFW or mature videos in your search results, without having to change any settings on your end.

YouTube’s New NSFW Filter Will Automatically Blur Thumbnails

YouTube’s billions of videos host everything from child-friendly content to more mature uploads, many of which toe the line of YouTube’s content policies and community guidelines.

To keep the platform safe for everyone, YouTube is testing blurred thumbnails in its search results. According to a YouTube support page, these thumbnails will appear for search queries that include sexual themes. Although the thumbnail might be blurred, users will still be able to view the video’s title, the channel’s name, and the description. You still have the option to unblur a thumbnail if the theme of the video doesn’t bother them.

This feature works somewhat like SafeSearch on Google, which automatically filters out explicit content from your search results if you have the setting enabled. However, in this case, you don’t have to manually adjust any settings, and explicit results aren’t automatically omitted from your search results. Rather, the blurring effect just provides an additional layer of protection. It’s especially aimed at protecting unsuspecting viewers from encountering content that they might find inappropriate.

Instagram is another platform that offers a similar blurring effect for stories that feature sensitive content. Currently, YouTube only has a Restricted Mode functionality that helps hide mature videos. You have to enable it manually, though, by opening the YouTube app, navigating to your Settings, and selecting General. YouTube’s new experimental feature, on the other hand, works automatically in the background.

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This Experimental Feature Is Rolling Out to Select Viewers

In its support page, YouTube noted that this feature is rolling out to a small percentage of viewers. I haven’t seen it when browsing YouTube on my phone or PC, but that’s expected since this isn’t a full rollout. YouTube explained that the goal of testing this experimental feature is to “understand whether this type of feature helps users avoid accidentally viewing content that follows YouTube’s Community Guidelines but may be sensitive in nature.”

So far, YouTube hasn’t really revealed exactly what search keywords or themes might trigger the blurring effect, nor has the company clarified if this feature will appear on the homepage as well. However, given how popular YouTube has become, I am glad the company is experimenting with features that create a more inclusive and comfortable browsing experience for users. This type of feature might also help make YouTube less distracting!