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YouTube Embeds Causing Flag for "Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributes."
YouTube Embeds Causing Flag for "Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributes."

An explanation of the flag on embedded YouTube videos; "Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributes".

Updated over 9 months ago

This is no longer being flagged by DubBot. YouTube has removed the ARIA attribute that was causing the flag. However, the accessibility issue of only accessing the Subscribe button on mouse-hover still exists. Our recommendation to provide alternate means of subscribing to the YouTube channel or linking to the video within YouTube remains relevant.



YouTube embeds have been causing a flag for the issue titled "Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributes."

WCAG 2.1 Level A Elements Must only use permitted ARIA attributes. Ensures ARIA attributes are not prohibited for an element's role. Impact: serious. Violations: WCAG 2.1 Level A: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

In these instances, the issue is with the way YouTube codes the logo inside the video frame to make the Subscribe option pop out on mouse hover only. It cannot be navigated to or selected using only a keyboard, making the Subscribe option inaccessible to keyboard-only users.

An embedded YouTube video shows the logo of the channel expanded with the subscribe button, available only on mouse-hover.

Unfortunately, this issue exists within YouTube's code, so it cannot be changed by a third party. However, if you are embedding that code in your website, you are still responsible for remediating the accessibility barrier it causes.

To do this, one option would be providing an alternative means for users to subscribe to your YouTube channel if that is a function that you believe all users should have the ability to access.

Some users have chosen to utilize the Ignore function for this issue, showing that they have audited the problem and determined it to be part of a third party's code.

If you have questions, please reach out to our DubBot Support team via email at help@dubbot.com or via the blue chat bubble in the lower right corner of your screen. We are here to help!


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