YouTube Apologizes For ‘How To Have S*X With Your Kids’ Autocomplete Fiasco

For many users, autocomplete is a useful feature on the internet since it helps save time. However, YouTube was recently at the center of a horrible fiasco when its autocomplete featured choices that were disturbing, to say the least. Among the more innocuous options that dropped down when typing “how to have” in the search box include phrases like “s*x with your kids.”

The alarming feature was noticed by a number of users and it didn’t seem like the browsing history affected the results, BuzzFeed News reported on Monday. When the publication tried reaching out to YouTube for a comment, a spokesperson said that the company was already made aware of the issue and were investigating it.

At the time of writing, YouTube has already removed the results and has offered an apology for the scandalous development. The company also Tweeted to users that the matter has been dealt with.

“"This is an awful autocomplete result and we really appreciate you making us aware. We've removed it and are working to remove similar results. We will continue to investigate what caused this!" the Tweet reads.

This is not the first time that YouTube became embroiled in a scandal involving pedophiles and inappropriate contents showing up on the platform. Previous cases involved predatory comments left under video contents that were clearly aimed at children and some content creators were actually making videos that were grossly unsuitable for younger viewers, Business Insider reports.

One explanation for this event is the possibility of trolls coordinating an effort to basically game YouTube’s autocomplete system. After all, the feature is based on popular search keywords, so unsavory individuals might have teamed up to manipulate the “how to have” autocomplete results.

Some are even suggesting that this could have been perpetrated by the so-called “alt-right” movement. The largely Libertarian and Conservative members have been criticizing YouTube for allegedly censoring their types of content while allowing pedophiles free reign on the platform.