YouTube is the biggest video-sharing service in the world and many people make a living out of it. But, a new set of guidelines dubbed “not advertiser-friendly” by Google might shake things a little. Even video creators aren’t happy with the change and want Google to rethink on the subject.
The issue came to light when the platform started withholding paychecks for videos marked as inappropriate for advertising. Users are getting notices from Google, saying that some videos are considered inappropriate and won’t be able to make use of platform’s ad service.
To protest against the new guidelines, video creators like the one (Chris Ray Gun) below have started breaking content rules intentionally. But, YouTube maintains the issue pertains to users insisting on having inappropriate content, rather than new guidelines.
YouTube is a significant source of income for popular YouTubers hence the outrage.
Types of Content Demonetized by YouTube
Sexually suggestive content, including partial nudity and sexual humor,
Violence, including display of serious injury and events related to violent extremism,
Inappropriate language, including harassment, profanity and vulgar language,
Promotion of drugs and regulated substances, including selling, use and abuse of such items,
Controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown.
Still, there’s a caveat to the inappropriate content rules that might suggest sneaking some inappropriate content for monetization.
YouTube explained in the post, “Advertiser-friendly content is content that’s appropriate for all audiences. It has little to no inappropriate or mature content in the video stream, thumbnail, or metadata (such as in the video title). If the video does contain inappropriate content, the context is usually newsworthy or comedic and the creator’s intent is to inform or entertain (not offend or shock),”
The blog post also details that users can request a manual review “if you believe that your video is eligible for monetization. Click on the yellow dollar sign and follow the on-screen instructions to submit it for review.”
Let’s see if YouTube changes anything or the users get accustomed to these guidelines.