YouTube hides dislike counts in an attempt to protect Creators from harassment and targeted attacks

To protect artists from abuse and targeted attacks, YouTube said on Wednesday that the number of "dislike" clicks on videos will no longer be available to the public.

Many claim that a public tally of likes — or dislikes — that social media posts receive is hazardous to one's well-being, and both Facebook and Instagram have made it possible for users to opt out.

Users on the Google-owned video sharing site will still be able to click the "dislike" button beneath a video, but the number of negative reviews will no longer be visible.

YouTube said in a statement "To ensure that YouTube promotes respectful interactions between viewers and creators... we experimented with the dislike button to see whether or not changes could help better protect our creators from harassment, and reduce dislike attacks."

"Our experiment data showed a reduction in dislike attacking behavior."

Content creators — the social media celebrities who draw large crowds online — will be able to monitor how many thumbs-down marks their videos receive.

YouTube revealed that smaller-scale or new artists were unfairly targeted in assaults, in which users try to increase the number of dislikes on videos.

The improvements at YouTube come as politicians, regulators, and watchdogs often criticise big social networks and video platforms of not doing enough to combat online abuse.

Facebook is facing one of its most catastrophic reputational problems in history, thanks to leaked internal papers revealing that executives were aware of the potential harm of its services.

The disclosures from former Facebook employee Frances Haugen's leaks have given new momentum to calls for Big Tech corporations to be regulated.

Concerns about Facebook's potential harm have spread to other platforms, with TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube attempting to persuade US senators last month at a hearing that their services were safe for their young users.