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YouTube Cracks Down on 'Harmful and Dangerous' Challenges and Pranks (polygon.com)

YouTube has set stricter guidelines for "harmful and dangerous" prank and challenge videos. From a report: "We've always had policies to make sure what's funny doesn't cross the line into also being harmful or dangerous," reads the YouTube guidelines. "Our Community Guidelines prohibit content that encourages dangerous activities that are likely to result in serious harm, and today clarifying what this means for dangerous challenges and pranks." YouTube's guidelines now further detail which of these popular videos push the line, including challenges such as the Tide Pod challenge and the Fire challenge -- anything "that can cause death and/or have caused death in some instances."

As for pranks, videos that make the victims believe they're in serious danger or cause severe emotional distress to children (further clarified with examples like faking the death of a parent) are no longer acceptable on the platform. Creators who host these types of videos on their channels will receive a grace period of two months to clean up their channel.

4 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Guidelines with no effective means of enforcement by stevez67 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They can publish all the "feel good" guidelines they want. Until they can effectively and promptly enforce consistent guidelines, it's all marketing drivel aimed at keeping the lawyers and regulators at bay.

  2. Re:Guidelines with no effective means of enforceme by bobbied · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They can publish all the "feel good" guidelines they want. Until they can effectively and promptly enforce consistent guidelines, it's all marketing drivel aimed at keeping the lawyers and regulators at bay.

    Exactly this. They have all sorts of rules and guidelines but we all know that unless the PR $#!+ hits the fan they don't enforce them regularly. They are in the business of selling ads and as long as they are not getting raked over the coals for something, they don't have the resources to police everybody. Just keeping porn at bay is a full time job, even though there are other, more popular options for that stuff.

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    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  3. Re: Using Tide to clean out the gene pool by Eichmil · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Don't really care about the Tide bit. That's just self selecting the stupid for pool washing. Driving whilst blindfolded endangers others. Die yourself all you want, but don't take others with you.

  4. Re:Yay censorship! by dcw3 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Thank goodness we're in a place that respects free speech and would never consider censoring someones posts.

    Your free speech rights don't cross the line into a web site owned and operated by someone else who doesn't like what you have to say. You're completely free to create your own though.

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    Just another day in Paradise