Experts are calling upon YouTube to look out for videos that may incite imitation. (image: Pixabay)
SEOUL, June 15 (Korea Bizwire) — Concerns are rising over YouTube videos of experiments with explosives and other dangerous acts that remain posted for a number of years.
In a YouTube video posted in September 2019, a local YouTuber was seen dropping a lump of sodium into a stream near a residential area, calling it a ‘science experiment’.
The sodium gave off a puff of smoke before it broke out into a series of explosions.
Sodium metal is considered a hazardous material, and can only be purchased for research or experimental purposes.
In another video posted in June 2020, a YouTuber claiming to be certified for cooking puffer fish gave a course on how to detox and treat puffer fish.
The YouTuber encouraged viewers to “try”, saying that he explained “everything that needs to be explained from A to Z.”
Puffer fish contain tetrodotoxin, a toxic substance that can kill a person with a small dose.
While YouTube bans such videos from being posted, searching for bomb-making instructions and other hazardous materials still returns a number of results.
Experts are calling upon YouTube to look out for videos that may incite imitation.
“Some YouTubers are posting extreme, dangerous videos to boost viewership,” said Kwak Keum-joo, a psychology professor at Seoul National University.
“Constant exposure to such videos undermines perceptions that these are dangerous acts, increasing the risk of imitation.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
