YouTube has removed a video showing Tesla drivers conducting their own safety tests to determine if the EV’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities would have it stop automatically if children crossed the road or standing on the street, as first reported by CNBC.
The video, titled “Is Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta Really About Kids?” was originally posted on the Whole Mars Catalog YouTube channel and concerns Tesla owner and investor Tad Park, who is testing Tesla’s FSD feature with his own children tests. During the video, Park drives a Tesla Model 3 towards one of his children who is standing in the street and then tries again with his other child who is crossing the street. Both times the vehicle stops before it reaches the children.
As detailed on its support page, YouTube has specific rules against content that “endangers the emotional and physical wellbeing of minors,” including “dangerous stunts, dares, or pranks.” YouTube spokeswoman Ivy Choi told The Verge that the video violated its policies on harmful and dangerous content and that the platform “does not allow content that depicts minors engaging in dangerous activities or that encourages minors to engage in dangerous activities.” Choi says YouTube decided to remove the video as a result.
“I’ve tried FSD Beta before, and I would trust them with my children’s lives,” Park says during the now-removed video. “So I’m very confident that it will recognize my kids, and I also have control of the steering wheel so I can brake at any time,” Park told CNBC that the car never went more than 8 mph. and “makes sure the car recognizes the child.”
As of August 18, the video had over 60,000 views on YouTube. The video was also posted on Twitter and can still be viewed. The Verge reached out to Twitter to see if it has any plans to take it down, but didn’t get an immediate response.
The crazy idea of testing FSD with real – living and breathing – children came about afterwards a video and advertising campaign Those posted to Twitter showed Tesla vehicles failing to recognize and colliding with what appeared to be child dummies placed in front of the vehicle. Tesla fans didn’t buy it, sparking a debate on Twitter about the feature’s limitations. Whole Mars Catalog, an EV-driven Twitter and YouTube channel run by Tesla investor Omar Qazi, later indicated to create a video involving real children to try to prove the original results wrong.
In response to the video, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a statement warning against using children to test automated driving technologies. “No one should risk their life or the lives of others to test the performance of vehicle technology,” the agency told Bloomberg. “Consumers should never attempt to create their own test scenarios or use real people, especially children, to test the performance of vehicle technology.”
Tesla’s FSD software does not make a vehicle fully autonomous. It’s available to Tesla drivers for an additional $12,000 (or $199 per month on subscription). Once Tesla determines that a driver meets a certain safety rating, it unlocks access to the FSD beta, allowing drivers to enter a destination and drive the vehicle there using Autopilot, the vehicle’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). The driver must still keep his hands on the wheel and be ready to take control at all times.
Earlier this month, California’s DMV accused Tesla of making false claims about Autopilot and FSD. The agency claims that the names of both features, as well as Tesla’s description, incorrectly imply that they enable vehicles to drive autonomously.
In June, NHTSA released data on driver-assistance crashes for the first time, noting that Tesla vehicles with Autopilot vehicles were involved in 273 crashes from July 20, 2021 to May 21, 2022. NHTSA is currently investigating a number of incidents where Tesla vehicles equipped with driver-assistance technology collided with parked emergency vehicles, in addition to over two dozen Tesla crashes, some of which were fatal.
Update from Aug. 20 2:10pm ET: Updated to add a statement and additional context from a YouTube speaker.