Quality and Reliability of YouTube Content on Infant Choking Management: A Cross‐Sectional Study of Guideline Adherence

AIM: YouTube is frequently used by parents as a primary source of information for paediatric emergencies, including infant choking. This study aimed to evaluate the comprehensiveness, reliability, and quality of YouTube videos regarding choking management in infants (0-12 months) and to assess whether video popularity is associated with content quality. METHODS: Of the first 200 videos retrieved by a YouTube search on January 20, 2026, 40 met predefined eligibility criteria and were analysed using the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), the Global Quality Scale (GQS), and a guideline-derived Infant Choking Management Checklist (ICMC; 0-20). Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman correlations with false discovery rate adjustment were used. RESULTS: Educational health channels (40.0%) and official health institutions (22.5%) were the primary uploaders. The median ICMC score was 14.0 (IQR 12.0-15.5), and median GQS and mDISCERN scores were both 3.0 (moderate quality and reliability). Intervention technique steps were almost always demonstrated, whereas recognition and safety steps were frequently omitted; only 18.8% of videos warned against blind finger sweeps. Scores did not differ significantly by video source or practitioner background (p > 0.05). ICMC scores correlated strongly with GQS scores (ρ = 0.834, p < 0.001), whereas engagement metrics were not associated with any content score. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, YouTube videos on infant choking management were of moderate quality and reliability and often omitted the recognition and safety steps of the guideline algorithm. No association between popularity and content quality was identified. Healthcare professionals should guide parents towards vetted, evidence-based resources covering the complete algorithm.