A new study has found that YouTube's tool to suggest videos can direct young users to content about guns and violence.
一项新的研究发现，YouTube的视频推荐工具会引导年轻用户观看枪支和暴力的内容。
The study was based on an experiment carried out by the Tech Transparency Project. The nonprofit group studies social media services. Researchers from the group set up two YouTube accounts that simulated online activity that might be interesting to 9-year-old boys.
该研究是基于“技术透明度项目”所进行的实验。这家非营利组织研究社交网站。 该组织的研究人员设立了两个YouTube帐户，这些帐户模拟了9岁男孩可能很感兴趣的网络活动。
The two accounts contained the exact same information. The only difference was that one account chose only to watch videos suggested by YouTube. The other ignored the video service's suggested offerings.
这两个账号包含完全相同的信息。唯一的区别是，一个账户只观看YouTube推荐的视频。另一个账户无视该视频网站的推荐。
The organization found the account that chose to watch YouTube's suggestions was flooded with graphic videos. These included videos about school shootings and instructions for making guns fully automatic.
该组织发现，选择观看YouTube推荐视频的账户充斥了图文视频。其中包括有关学校枪支事件的视频，以及改造成全自动枪支的说明。
Many of the suggested videos violate YouTube's own policies against violent or graphic content.
许多推荐视频违反了YouTube暴力和图文内容的政策。
YouTube has technology tools that are meant to restrict some kinds of videos. But the study suggests that those tools are failing to block violent content from young users. The researchers involved in the study said the tools even may be sending children to videos that include extremist and violent material.
YouTube拥有旨在限制某类视频的技术工具。但是研究表明，这些工具无法屏蔽年轻用户的暴力内容。参与该研究的研究人员表示，这些工具甚至可能向儿童推送包括极端主义和暴力内容在内的视频。
Katie Paul leads the Tech Transparency Project. She said, "Video games are one of the most popular activities for kids. You can play a game like ‘Call of Duty' without ending up at a gun shop — but YouTube is taking them there."
凯蒂·保罗负责技术透明度项目。 她说：“视频游戏是儿童最受欢迎的活动之一。您可以玩诸如“使命召唤”之类的游戏而最终不会去枪店，但YouTube会把他们带去那里。”
Paul added, "It's not the video games, it's not the kids. It's the algorithms." An algorithm is a set of steps that are followed to complete a computing process or problem.
保罗补充说：“这不是电子游戏，不是孩子。这是算法（搞出的事情）。”算法是一组完成计算过程或解决问题的步骤。
Social media companies use algorithms to predict what content users might be interested in based on past watch history. Algorithm tools suggest that content to users.
社交媒体公司利用算法，基于历史观看视频来预测用户可能感兴趣的内容。算法工具给用户推荐这些内容。
The accounts that clicked on YouTube's suggested videos received 382 different gun-related videos in a single month. The accounts that ignored YouTube's suggestions still received some gun-related videos, but only 34 in total.
观看YouTube推荐视频的账户在一个月内收到了382个与枪支相关的内容。无视YouTube推荐视频的账户仍然收到了一些与枪支相关的视频，但是数量只有34个。
A spokeswoman for YouTube defended the platform's protections for children and noted that it requires users under age 17 to get a parent's permission before using their website.
YouTube网站的女发言人就该平台对儿童的保护措施进行辩解，指出它要求17岁以下用户在使用其网站之前，先获得父母的许可。
YouTube says accounts for users younger than 13 are linked to a parental account. The company noted that it offers several choices for younger viewers that are "designed to create a safer experience for tweens and teens."
YouTube网站表示，13岁以下用户的账号链接到了父母的账户。该公司指出，它为年轻用户提供了数种选项，旨在为青少年创造更安全的体验。
Activist groups for children have long criticized YouTube for making violent and troubling content easily available to young users. They say YouTube sometimes suggests videos that promote gun violence, eating disorders and self-harm.
儿童活动组织长期以来批评YouTube让年轻用户轻易接触到暴力和令人不安的内容。他们说YouTube有时会推荐促进枪支暴力，饮食失调和自我伤害的视频。
In some cases, YouTube has already removed some of the videos that the Tech Transparency Project identified. But others remain available.
在某些案例中，YouTube已经删除了“技术透明度项目”认定的一些视频。但是其它视频仍然可用。
Many technology companies depend on computer programs to identify and remove content that violates their rules. But Paul said findings from her organization's study show that greater investments and efforts are needed to block such material.
许多技术公司依靠计算机程序来识别和删除违反其规则的内容。但是保罗说，她所在组织的研究结果表明，屏蔽此类内容需要投入更大的资金和努力。
Justin Wagner is the director of investigations at Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control activist group. He told the AP that without federal legislation, social media companies must do more to enforce their own rules.
贾斯汀·瓦格纳是枪支管制活动团体“为每个城镇带来枪支安全”的调查总监。他告诉美联社，如果没有联邦立法，社交媒体公司在执行自身规定方面还需做得更多。
He added, "Children who aren't old enough to buy a gun shouldn't be able to turn to YouTube to learn how to build a firearm, modify it to make it deadlier, or commit atrocities."
他补充说：“那些年纪不足以购买枪支的孩子不应该能够转向YouTube来学习如何制造枪支，对其进行改造，以使其变得更致命，或犯下暴行。”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)