San Francisco, Feb 12 (DPA) Google has introduced a "safety mode" for YouTube watchers that filters out smut and other objectionable material, the company announced.

Customers can opt in to the "safety mode", which also automatically hides comments on any videos. If the user decides to view the comments, all objectionable words are censored by Google's smut filter.

The web's top video-sharing site has long banned pornography, gratuitous violence and animal abuse. But the new filter will target such images even if they occur within a legitimate context such as a news report, the company said in its blog Thursday.

"An example of this type of content might be a newsworthy video that contains graphic violence, such as a political protest or war coverage," said product manager Jamie Davidson. "While no filter is 100 percent perfect, 'safety mode' is another step in our ongoing desire to give you greater control over the content you see on the site."