I have recently observed a shift in how YouTube handles external links within its desktop and mobile interfaces. While browsing my own channel and several others, I found that many links to external websites have become unclickable. This includes affiliate links and general references in descriptions for creators such as Astrophysicist Dr. Becky and Hoovies Garage. This issue occurs across devices, browsers and platforms as I found the links were unclickable through the mobile app too.
Curiously, the issue does not affect every channel, as I could still access links on videos from other channels.
See the problem in action in my latest video.
The behavior seems to be tied to specific user accounts included in a recent YouTube user interface “experiment” rather than being a platform-wide rollout at this stage. When switching to a different account, the same links that were previously dead became active again. This suggests that YouTube may be conducting A/B testing with a small subset of its audience.
On the account where the links failed to function, I noticed a revised desktop layout featuring a sidebar for descriptions and comments, along with integrated Gemini AI features. Even within this new sidebar, the external links remained inactive, while YouTube’s internal links and its own affiliate tags continued to function as expected.
This development follows a previous decision by the platform to disable external linking on YouTube Shorts. The possibility that this restriction could expand to long-form content raises questions about the future of the open web on major platforms. Creators rely on these links for a variety of purposes, from citing academic research and source materials to generating revenue through independent affiliate partnerships. If YouTube chooses to restrict these paths, it would further silo users within its own ecosystem and force creators to rely only on revenue sources from which YouTube takes a cut.
There is a broader trend across social media where platforms discourage users from leaving their sites. We see this frequently on services like Facebook, where users have adapted by placing links in comment sections to avoid being penalized by the platform’s algorithms. YouTube’s motivation may be tied to its own revenue interests, particularly as it expands its own affiliate program and seeks more control over how viewers interact with third-party sites. By making it more difficult to navigate away from the site, the platform ensures it retains more data and potential advertising revenue.
Whether this is a technical glitch within a UI experiment or a precursor to a permanent policy change remains to be seen. If the goal is to funnel all traffic through YouTube’s internal tools, it represents a significant shift in how creators manage their businesses and how viewers access information. I tested this on various browsers including Safari, Brave, and Chrome, and the results remained consistent for the impacted account.
If this experiment moves out of the testing phase, the convenience of the open web may become increasingly limited for those who create and consume video content.