Yahoo! Video Safety Guide

What is Yahoo! Video?

Yahoo! Video lets you search millions of video clips posted on Yahoo! and around the Web. You can also upload your own video clips for free to share with the world.

To learn more, please read through Yahoo! Video Help.

What are some risks to my child on Yahoo! Video?

Yahoo! Video users are expected to behave in ways that foster community and must abide by the Yahoo! Video Terms of Service, as well as the general Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Just as there may be risks in the community where you live, the Yahoo! Video community may pose certain risks to children. Yahoo! Video provides a number of safety features, but as a parent or caregiver, you are expected to take an active role in protecting your child online.

We suggest that you start by reviewing some general practices for online safety. In addition, please keep the following in mind when your child is using Yahoo! Video:

• Protecting personal information. Content on Yahoo! Video is publicly accessible. If your child posts a video clip or personal information in a profile, strangers could use it to identify your child and expose him or her to unpleasant, sexually suggestive, or abusive language.
• Harassment. If your child uploads a video clip, his or her Yahoo! ID will be visible to all Yahoo! Video users. Strangers can use this information to try and contact your child by email or instant message.
• Mature content. Yahoo! Video’s Additional Terms of Service forbids threatening, abusive, pornographic, or other indecent content. Yahoo! SafeSearch filters out a large quantity of mature content, but no filter is perfect, and Yahoo! cannot guarantee that all explicit images will be removed. If you or your child encounters inappropriate material, please report the abuse.

What can be done to limit these risks? Review Yahoo! Video’s safety features, learn how to report abuse, and learn what parents and caregivers can do to help kids be safe on Yahoo! Video.

What safety features should I know about to help protect my child on Yahoo! Video?

Yahoo! Video has incorporated a number of safety features. Your child should know how to do the following:

• Turn on SafeSearch. Yahoo!’s SafeSearch can be set to filter out explicit, adult-oriented images from Video Search results. While SafeSearch filters out a large quantity of mature content, no filter is perfect, and Yahoo! cannot guarantee that all explicit videos will be removed from search results. If SafeSearch is already turned on, you'll see a link that says SafeSearch is ON in the upper-right corner of all Yahoo! Video pages. If you see SafeSearch is OFF, you can click on that link to go to the SafeSearch Preferences page and turn it on.
• Lock SafeSearch. Parents can keep SafeSearch settings from being changed by selecting Lock SafeSearch on the SafeSearch Preferences page. SafeSearch lock prevents anyone on that computer who is using the same browser from changing SafeSearch settings unless they are registered as a Yahoo! user over 18 years of age.
• Manage Public View. Public View shows the Yahoo! ID and profile information that will be visible by anyone using Yahoo! Video when your child uploads video clips. To make sure that this public information does not contain too many personal details, click on My Studio in the upper-left corner of any Yahoo! Video page and then select Edit My Profile.
• Delete uploaded video clips. Children should be careful not to upload videos that contain personally identifiable information. In order to delete a video clip that reveals too much personal information, sign in to Yahoo! and click My Studio in the upper-left corner of any Yahoo! Video page. Then click Delete beside any video.
• Flag videos as offensive. Report sexually explicit and indecent videos that violate Yahoo! Video’s Additional Terms of Service by clicking the Flag this video as offensive link beside a video clip. This link will be displayed for videos that are hosted on Yahoo! Video. If you find offensive video clips hosted on other web sites, report the abuse to Yahoo!.

How can I report problems that my child encounters on Yahoo! Video?

Yahoo! Video provides a customer care form to report abuse. Please complete this form if your child is exposed to sexually explicit images or anything else that violates the Yahoo! Terms of Service or Yahoo! Video Additional Terms of Service. Make sure to provide specific information about the location of the offending content.

Yahoo!’s customer care team receives abuse reports and takes appropriate action as necessary, which may include deactivating an abuser’s account. Reports that indicate activity involving child pornography or solicitation of a minor are dealt with promptly by Yahoo!’s legal team and, when appropriate, reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

What can I do to help my child use Yahoo! Video in a safe manner?

Yahoo! is committed to providing a safe online experience for all users and, accordingly, complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Yahoo! Video provides a number of safety features to limit potential risks to users. However, protecting children online is a responsibility shared with parents, teachers, and other caregivers.

We suggest that you start by reviewing some general practices for online safety . These include safeguarding identity online, keeping passwords secret, being cautious about contact with strangers, and creating a pledge for online safety.

You can also make sure that the Yahoo! SafeSearch settings can't be changed by choosing the Lock SafeSearch option on the SafeSearch Preferences page. This prevents anyone on your computer who is using the same browser from changing the SafeSearch settings unless they are registered as a Yahoo! user over 18 years of age.

If your child is exposed to obscene language, mature content, threats of physical violence, harassment, or anything else that violates the Yahoo! Terms of Service or Yahoo! Video Additional Terms of Service, please report the abuse.

And remember, Yahoo! Kids offers all kinds of age-appropriate content and activities for children under 13.