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YouTube is updating its advertiser-friendly content guidelines to allow more videos about controversial issues to earn full ad revenue, as long as they’re represented or discussed in a non-graphic way. These controversial topics include self-harm, abortion, suicide, and domestic and sexual violence. YouTube notes that content related to child abuse or eating disorders will still not be eligible for full monetization.
YouTube Announce Changed this week in a video on her Creator Insider channel.
“In the past, the degree of graphic or descriptive detail was not considered an important factor in determining advertiser suitability, even for some dramatic material,” YouTube explained. “Therefore, such uploads typically receive a yellow dollar icon, limiting their ability to be fully monetized. With this week’s update, our guidelines have become more lenient, and creators will be able to earn more ad revenue.”
The Google-owned company says it is making the change in response to creator feedback that YouTube’s guidelines were resulting in limited ad revenue on dramatic and topical content. YouTube notes that it wants to ensure that creators who tell sensitive stories or produce dramatic content have the opportunity to earn ad revenue.
“We took a closer look and found that our guidelines in this area had become too restrictive and ended up de-monetizing uploads like drama content,” YouTube said. “This content may reference topics that advertisers find controversial, but ultimately feel comfortable running their ads on. For example, the content may be in a fictional context or expressed from personal experiences in passing or in a non-graphic way. So, as long as the content stays away from overly descriptive or graphic scenes or clips, creators can now earn more ad revenue.”
The move comes as YouTube relaxes how it moderates content on its platform.
The company asked moderators last year to leave videos that might violate the platform’s rules if they were deemed to be in the public interest. New York Times It was stated at the time that these videos included discussions of political, social and cultural issues. The policy shift came at a time when social media platforms were as well Undo moderation of online speech After President Donald Trump returns to office.
YouTube notes that there are still some areas where ads will remain restricted, as topics such as child abuse, including child sex trafficking and eating disorders, are not included in this update. Descriptive clips or dramatic content around these topics remain ineligible for advertising revenue.