In a move that will surely prompt a sigh of relief from parents and a groan from the world's aspiring junior John Wicks, YouTube is implementing a tougher policy on gun-related videos to protect youth. Effective June 18, 2024, the platform will prohibit any videos instructing how to remove firearm safety devices—because apparently, advanced lessons on disabling safety features aren't quite kindergarten-appropriate.

In addition to cracking down on instructional videos, YouTube will also restrict access to videos showing homemade guns, automatic weapons, and certain firearm accessories like silencers to users 18 and older. That means if Little Timmy is 17 and 364 days old, he’ll just have to wait an extra day to get a glimpse of all the modicum of mechanized mayhem.

Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, welcomed the change but questioned why it took so long, emphasizing the need for effective enforcement. “Clearly, the world that invented binge-watching hamster videos can also figure out how to keep dangerous content away from children,” she pointedly remarked, while probably sitting next to a pile of unanswered compliance reports.

Data supporting these changes is alarmingly grim: firearms have been the number one cause of death for children and teens in America. It's less “Bang Bang, You’re Dead” in a playful sense and more in a tragic reality. Researchers found that YouTube's own algorithm recommended graphic videos to accounts mimicking the behavior of 9-year-old boys, indicating that even AI can't be trusted around kids without adult supervision.

The changes brought applause from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who no doubt was relieved to finally have fewer exciting points of data in his crime reports to stress over. In addition, the availability of detailed guides on 3D-printed guns was another factor influencing YouTube’s policy shift.

It's worth noting that YouTube has a large community of ‘gunfluencers’ who proudly display and promote firearms as their weapon of choice. However, YouTube does not allow content that intends to sell firearms and accessories or instructs viewers on making their own—unless, of course, it’s caught in the net of ‘public interest’ exception for news clips, war footage, or police footage.

The video-streaming giant has been forced to face the reality that several mass shooters have used social media and video platforms to glorify or livestream their attacks. It turns out the algorithm was a little too good at connecting people—just not in the post-your-lunch-photos-social-media kind of way.

Despite these new policies, YouTube's approach includes requiring parental permission for users under 17 and linking accounts for users younger than 13 to the parental account. Because nothing says "I care about my child’s internet safety" like handing them a tablet and hoping for the best.

So, while Timmy might find his quest for DIY silencer schemes officially thwarted, perhaps it’s heartening to know that YouTube is finally cracking down on becoming every parent's worst nightmare. The platform is playing catch-up, but let's optimistically hope they'll catch enough of Timmy's misadventures before he does.