YouTube says it is tightening policies around swearing in videos and advertisements

YouTube parent company Google promises to tighten its advertising policy with regard to vulgar language. In November of 2022, a controversial new policy was introduced whereby swearing in the first 15 seconds of a video limited advertising opportunities.

In a statement to The Verge says the video platform: “In recent weeks, many ‘creators’ have spoken about [het nieuwe advertentiebeleid]. This feedback is important to us and we are working to make some adjustments to this policy to address any concerns.” The company promises to provide more details as soon as possible. creators resist against the new rules, which affect not only new videos but also videos uploaded before the new rules came into effect.

In November it was by a new advertising policy more difficult for creators to monetize new and already published YouTube videos; if there is too much swearing or too soon after the start of a video, they will not be eligible for ads and therefore income. For example, videos containing swearing in the first seven seconds are not eligible for ad revenue. Swearing between 8 and 15 seconds after the start of the video “may result in ad revenue being limited or denied altogether.”

Formerly similar rules applied, although it was still up to advertisers to determine whether they wanted to show an ad for videos with vulgar language. Also, so far no distinction has been made between the type of content. With the new rules, musicians and comedians can immediately use swear words and they may still be eligible for advertisements when swear words appear in the title or thumbnail of a video. Other creators are not allowed to do the latter at all.