YouTube laughing gas videos should carry warnings for children, says UK government
Video platforms YouTube and DailyMotion should add safety warnings to videos which “glamorise” the use of drugs such as laughing gas to protect young people, said UK officials.
Users will film their laughing gas intake. credit: joeystoneamadeus
The Local Government Association (LGA) said video hosting-sites cannot “sit on their hands” as it is their responsibility to add disclaimers to drug use videos - especially those which feature children.
Laughing gas (nitrous oxide), which can cause oxygen deprivation in users, was recreationally taken by half a million young people in 2013, according to government figures.
The drug, which is used by dentists to numb pain, is illegally sold in canisters and inhaled from balloons causing a quick high.
Earlier this year a French court said that 21-year-old British chef Jordan Guise asphyxiated to death after using nitrous oxide.
Councillor Katie Hall, chair of the LGA community and wellbeing board, said it was “deeply disturbing that laughing gas was still widely viewed as safe”.
Hall said: “It is imperative that users understand just how harmful it can be as this gas can kill and much more needs to be done to get this message across.”
“We are particularly concerned about internet pages and uploaded clips which are effectively 'promoting’ this as a harmless drug. The web giants must do more to crack down on this – they cannot simply sit on their hands and ignore what is happening on their own sites.
“We are calling on the big internet corporations to step up to the plate and show responsibility by providing health warnings and links to drug awareness charities. It is wholly unacceptable that this craze is being glamorised and encouraged in this way.”
Hackney Council last month reported that 1,200 canisters were seized in one night in Shoreditch.
These calls for further regulation of YouTube come as parent company, Google, struggles to balance the right to individual privacy with freedom of speech after the EU introduced 'right to be forgotten' legislation.