Highlights
- YouTube now allows monetisation for videos with limited profanity in the first 7 seconds.
- However, excessive swearing or profanity in titles/thumbnails may still lead to demonetisation.
- YouTube is also rolling out a machine learning system to estimate user age based on behaviour.
YouTube is revising its profanity guidelines to give content creators more flexibility in monetising their content. Under the updated rules, videos containing profanity can now remain eligible for monetisation, as long as the swearing is limited to the first seven seconds of the video. Here’s the full story.
YouTube Changes Profanity Rules for Creators
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Conor Kavanagh, YouTube’s head of monetisation, shared the update in a video posted on the Creator Insider YouTube channel. Kavanagh explained that the original profanity restrictions were introduced two years ago to align with broadcast standards and to meet advertiser expectations.
“We introduced this guideline to align with broadcast standards; advertisers expected ads on YouTube to have a distance between profanity and the ad that just served. Those expectations have changed, and advertisers already have the ability to target content to their desired level of profanity,” Kavanagh said.
The latest update removes the previous time-based restrictions for profanity beyond the first few seconds allowing such videos to remain monetised.
However, the use of strong or moderate swear words in a video’s title or thumbnail can still lead to limited or no monetisation. Kavanagh also clarified that excessive use of strong profanity throughout a video still violates YouTube’s advertiser-friendly guidelines.
For example, a “best swearing” compilation from shows like The Thick of It or Veep would likely face demonetization due to the high frequency of profanity. Kavanagh emphasised that community guidelines still apply and that this policy shift doesn’t allow for harassment or abusive language.
These changes follow previous backlash from creators. In late 2022, YouTube implemented stricter rules that demonetised videos containing any profanity within the first 20 seconds or those with excessive swearing. In May 2023, those rules were relaxed slightly, focusing only on “strong profanity” like the f-word and limiting the enforcement window to the first 7 seconds.
Now, YouTube is becoming even more lenient based on creator feedback and evolving advertiser tools.
YouTube Introduces AI-Powered Teen Detection
Meanwhile, YouTube is also rolling out a new AI-powered system designed to better protect teenage users. The platform will use machine learning to estimate a viewer’s age based on account history, search activity and video engagement, rather than relying on the age entered during account creation.
The changes have been explained by YouTube Program Manager Lauren in a video on the Creator Insider YouTube channel.
This feature is launching initially for a small group of U.S.-based users and it will automatically apply teen protections if the system identifies an account as belonging to someone under 18. These protections include disabling personalised ads, enabling digital wellbeing tools and adjusting video recommendations.
Users who are mistakenly flagged as teens will have the option to lift the restrictions by verifying their age through a government-issued ID or credit card.
FAQs
Q1. What are the new profanity rules for YouTube monetisation?
Answer. Videos containing profanity can now remain eligible for monetisation, as long as the swearing is limited to the first seven seconds of the video. However, excessive profanity or use of strong language in titles or thumbnails may still lead to limited or no monetisation.
Q2. Why did YouTube revise its profanity guidelines?
Answer. Conor Kavanagh, YouTube’s head of monetisation, explained that the original restrictions were set to align with broadcast standards and advertiser expectations. “Those expectations have changed, and advertisers already have the ability to target content to their desired level of profanity,” he stated.
Q3. What is YouTube’s AI-powered teen detection system and how does it work?
Answer. YouTube is rolling out a new AI system that uses machine learning to estimate a viewer’s age based on account history, search activity, and video engagement, instead of relying on the age entered during account creation.
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