YouTube suggesting distressing videos? Following these steps to improve recommendations
Are you tired of receiving irrelevant video suggestions on YouTube? Here's a simple guide to help you reset and manage your YouTube video recommendations.
Clearing Watch and Search History (Soft Reset)
- Navigate to your profile icon on the YouTube app or website and open Settings.
- In the settings menu, find History & privacy or Manage all history.
- Select Clear watch history and Clear search history to delete all past records.
By erasing your past viewing data, YouTube will no longer use your old activity to generate recommendations, allowing you to start fresh with more relevant video suggestions.
Marking Videos as “Not Interested” or Customizing Recommendations
When you see a video recommendation you don’t like, click the three-dot menu and select Not interested to train YouTube's algorithm about your preferences.
Ensuring You Are Logged Into the Correct Account
If multiple people use the same device/account, make sure you’re logged into your own profile. Different viewing habits mix up recommendations otherwise.
Full Reset (Hard Reset)
If a soft reset doesn’t suffice, deleting your YouTube account or starting a new account is an option but will result in losing subscriptions, playlists, and paid memberships. This is a last resort if your recommendations are deeply skewed.
Check YouTube Recommendations Setting
In settings under notifications/preferences, ensure Recommended videos are enabled, so the feature works properly.
In summary, clearing watch/search history combined with actively managing recommendations by marking unwanted videos improves YouTube’s suggestion quality. This approach effectively resets your feed without drastic measures like deleting your account.
Technology can play a significant role in helping you manage your YouTube video recommendations. For instance, clearing your watch and search history, or marking videos as "Not Interested", can train YouTube's algorithm to provide more relevant video suggestions. This way, you can maintain a more personalized and engaging viewing experience with the right application of technology.
