YouTube has eased its strict profanity and monetization rules after receiving backlash from creators.

YouTube is softening the rules regarding the language it allows on the popular video-sharing site, one of the most unpopular of its many changes over the last year.
YouTube has eased its strict profanity and monetization rules after receiving backlash from creators.

YouTube is softening the rules regarding the language it allows on the popular video-sharing site, one of the most unpopular of its many changes over the last year. The rules "resulted in a much stricter approach than originally envisioned," the company says in a blog post, lifting the threat of demonetization for creators using some moderate and strong profanity on their videos.

The original policy, implemented in November, had a video flagged for profanity within the first 15 seconds of the video, thus making it ineligible for monetization, which means that YouTube would not run ads on such videos. The new change was applied retroactively, and some creators complained that they lost their monetization status.
YouTube had stated earlier in January that it was going to amend the new rules.

Although the new relaxed rules do not reverse these changes back to the old policy of the platform, YouTube is making some changes that will allow creators to be eligible for limited ads if they use strong profanity within the first few seconds of a video. Under the November update, such videos would have received no ad revenue. The company further says that monetization will be allowed in the case of video content with profanity, whether it is mild or strong, and that appears after the first 7 seconds of the video, except where the video uses such content repetitively in most parts of the video. Such videos would have gained no ad money under the November update.

The company further says that it will review videos from creators affected by the policy introduced in November.

The company further clarified how the use of profanity in music is dealt with, but stated that moderate or strong profanity used in background music, backing tracks, intro/outro music can now garner full ad revenue. In the old days, it would garner no ad revenue. And any use of profanity at all in titles and thumbnails is still demonetized and will not run ads, the same as pre-November updates.

The policy goes into effect today. While the policy does not address all the concerns that creators had and is still somewhat vague, it should make it easier for a big chunk of creators to continue monetizing their videos without having to make major changes.

It's clear that YouTube wants to make its gigantic video trove at least partly age-appropriate and advertiser-friendly, but applying new monetization rules to a platform like YouTube is a delicate balancing act, as the past few months have shown.

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2024-11-06 20:01:31