YouTube has issued new guidelines for monetizing videos. A single wrong word in the wrong place can cost revenue – even if it’s just on a T-shirt and even if the video being demonetized was recorded months ago.
What are these guidelines? The video platform YouTube has specific guidelines that creators must adhere to in order to monetize a video. If a video is eligible for monetization, the YouTuber earns money.
If a YouTuber uses obscene language in their video, monetization for the video can be revoked: This is called “demonetization” and it’s a nightmare for anyone trying to make money with YouTube: All those thousands or even millions of clicks suddenly become worthless.
Tighter rules against profanity – even relatively mild ones
What changes with the guidelines? So far, YouTubers were primarily restricted from saying obscenities like “F*ck” or “sh*t” in the first 30 seconds of the video.
However, with the new guidelines, no obscene expressions are allowed in the first 7 seconds of a video, in the title or thumbnail. Also, profanity should not occur multiple times in the first 8 to 15 seconds.
Additionally, all obscene expressions are treated equally; there is no longer a classification of what is severe or less severe.
Generally, the new guidelines are intended to affect not only new videos but also older videos that were previously monetized.
YouTube likely cuts revenue without obvious violation
What the new guidelines trigger: In a video about the new guidelines, YouTuber moistcr1tikal states his channel has been “extremely hard” hit by the new guidelines and adds: “It’s just very confusing what this new wave of demonetization is triggering, which is coming upon us like a plague (via YouTube).”
At the same time, two formulations in the guidelines cause confusion, as some videos do not represent a violation by that measure and yet were demonetized.
- “This content may generate limited or no ad revenue: Frequently used obscenities in a video.” – Gaming and Monetization (via support.google.com)
- “Contents that contain profanity or vulgar expressions at the beginning or during most of the video may not be suitable for advertising.”
- “Occasional use of profanity (e.g., in music videos) does not necessarily mean that your video is unsuitable for advertising.” – Guidelines for Ad-Friendly Content (via support.google.com)
Both formulations suggest that a video can also be demonetized outside the first 15 seconds if obscenities occur or are frequently used in a large part of the video.
At the same time, it is stated that occasional use does not necessarily exclude monetization of the video. Nevertheless, YouTubers “Stan from Poland” and “RT Game” were affected by the demonetization wave, even though they apparently did not violate based on the wording.
Text on a T-shirt costs YouTuber money
YouTuber “Stan from Poland” reports on Twitter that one of his videos was demonetized due to a Chinese word on the T-shirt of one of his friends, which was classified as “extreme obscenity.”
The scene in question is neither in the first 7 or 15 seconds of the video, nor do obscenities occur frequently in the video. The YouTuber even explains why the word isn’t even considered an obscenity and what it means.
The channel “RT Game” is also affected by the new guidelines: On Twitter, the YouTuber reports that he has had 12 videos affected in the meantime. Other creators are asking YouTube in the comments on Twitter to reactivate monetization for RT Game’s videos, as RT Game’s videos are “clean.”
RT Game has contacted the video platform but received the response that YouTube will not change his status. He feels “completely abandoned” by YouTube. Additionally, the YouTuber says: “I am absolutely devastated.”
Another content creator is not having a bad time on YouTube: MrBeast. His channel is steadily growing, and just in November, he surpassed PewDiePie as the YouTuber with the most subscribers.
American surpasses PewDiePie as the king of YouTube – Reaches 111.9 million subscribers
