YouTube said it has resolved a technical issue that briefly disrupted access to the video-sharing platform for hundreds of thousands of users around the world, after widespread outages were reported across its services.
According to internet monitoring service Downdetector, more than 350,000 users reported problems at the peak of the disruption, though that figure dropped close to zero within a few hours as services were restored.
At one point, more than 320,000 reports were recorded in the United States alone.
The outage affected multiple platforms, including the YouTube website, the main mobile app, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids.
Some users encountered blank pages, while others were unable to load or play videos.
Visitors to the homepage during the worst of the disruption were greeted with a message asking them to return later.
The problems were reported across several countries, including India, Britain, Australia, and Mexico.
Downdetector’s data is based on user-submitted reports, meaning the actual number of affected users may vary.
Recommendation system identified as the cause
YouTube said the disruption was linked to its recommendation system, a core feature that displays videos across the homepage and other parts of the platform.
“The issue with our recommendations system has been resolved, and all of our platforms (YouTube.com, the YouTube app, YouTube Music, Kids, and TV) are back to normal,” YouTube said in an update.
The company had earlier acknowledged the problems publicly, posting on X: “If you’re having trouble accessing YouTube right now, you’re not alone – our teams are looking into this,” and linking users to a support page.
Later updates on that page confirmed the nature of the malfunction.
The help page said “an issue with our recommendations system prevented videos from appearing across surfaces on YouTube.”
At one stage, the company also noted partial restoration of service, stating: “The homepage is back, but we’re still working on a full fix.”
Broader internet services also reported issues
The outage coincided with reports of disruptions affecting other major internet infrastructure and technology services.
Downdetector indicated that platforms including Google, Amazon Web Services, and Cloudflare also experienced issues during the same period.
Alphabet stock reaction and shareholder transactions
YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, fell 1.05% on Tuesday’s trading.
The stock was down 0.65% in after-market trading at the time of writing.
Coatue Management, the technology-focused investment firm led by founder and portfolio manager Philippe Laffont, trimmed its position in Alphabet shares from about 7.2 million shares to roughly 6.8 million shares, representing a reduction of around 400,000 shares.
Separately, Alphabet Inc. director John L. Hennessy, acting through a trust, sold 590 shares of Class A common stock on February 13, 2026, for proceeds of approximately $184,036.
The transactions were executed at prices between $306.11 and $307.77 per share.
Alphabet shares have been down 4% in the year so far as investors sold tech stocks due to the fear of increased AI spending.
Alphabet had guided that capex would reach about $175 billion to $185 billion in 2026, nearly double the 2025 levels.
https://invezz.com/news/2026/02/18/youtube-outage-fixed-after-recommendation-system-glitch/
