YouTube Could Backtrack Modified Profanity Policy After Creator Backlash
By Movieguide® Staff
YouTube announced that it could ease up on its stricter profanity policy released in November 2022 after user backlash.
“In recent weeks we’ve heard from many creators regarding this update,” YouTube spokesperson Michael Aciman told TechCrunch. “That feedback is important to us and we are in the process of making some adjustments to this policy to address their concerns. We will follow up shortly with our creator community as soon as we have more to share.”
Forbes reported:
As the rules stood, a video wouldn’t be eligible to run ads if there was swearing in the first 15 seconds; while if the creator swears throughout “the majority of the video,” or curse words could be heard within the first seven seconds, the video could be demonetized entirely.
However, Youtube quickly announced that they would review the guidelines to make it more friendly for its creator.
In 2022, YouTube accounted for a third of all internet traffic and with its ability to monetize content for creators is arguably the most popular social media platform on the market today.
Despite its success, YouTube has struggled to find a balance between keeping top creators happy, and keeping their content “advertiser friendly.”
“For this specific case, YouTube understands that profanity can hurt ad sales,” Clifford Lampe, professor of information and associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Information at the University of Michigan told Forbes. “While they likely want creators to be expressive, their business is to sell ads. Therefore they are putting in big disincentives for creation that uses profanity. They outright block some other types of creator content, like adult content.”
“I’m not sure profanity has lost any power,” Lampe added. “Machine learning tools for detecting profanity are often unsophisticated and have a hard time with the context in which profanity occurs.”
While new guidelines could be a good sign for parents whose children use YouTube, discernment is required now more than ever.
Movieguide® previously reported:
YouTube, like many big tech companies, seeks to engage audiences through an algorithm. This can result in inappropriate content being recommended to your child:
According to Hootsuite, 70% of YouTube’s views come from the recommended videos that pop up as a result of their carefully curated algorithm.
Unfortunately, this algorithm has enabled “soft” pedophilia to enter into recommended videos. Mashable reports that in February, YouTube removed 400 channels that supported pedophilia as advertisers fled the platform.
Even so, the problem persists…
“It’s just increasing in society that when you have these social media outlets where these sexual predators, mainly men, are looking to connect with children,” Brown says. “Setting up profiles to seduce some kid on Facebook or some guy seducing a 14-year-old girl on Instagram. The opportunities are massif though. It’s tragic; it’s beyond tragic; it’s mind-boggling that this wasn’t the first thing that YouTube is going to police and deal with.”
YouTube may remove several channels and disable content, but the reality is that if they are not vigilant with these cases then the situation will never get better.
The problem lies within the algorithm. While YouTube isn’t directly supporting child pedophilia, they are supporting revenue. YouTube makes its money through more people watching their videos.
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