YouTube is updating its advertiser-friendly content guidelines to allow more videos about controversial issues to earn full ad revenue, as long as they are dramatized or discussed in a non-graphic way. Controversial topics include self-harm, abortion, suicide, and domestic and sexual abuse. YouTube notes that content about child abuse or eating disorders will remain ineligible for full monetization.
YouTube declare change this week in a video on the Creator Insider channel.
“Previously, the level of graphic or descriptive detail was not considered an important factor in determining advertiser friendliness, even for some dramatized material,” explains YouTube. “As a result, these uploads typically receive a yellow dollar icon, which limits their ability to be fully monetized. With this week’s update, our guidelines are becoming more permissive, and creators will be able to earn more ad revenue.”
The Google-owned company said it made the changes in response to creator feedback that YouTube’s guidelines led to limited ad revenue on dramatic and topical content. YouTube noted that they want 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 our guidelines in this area have become very restrictive and end up demonetizing uploads like dramatized content,” YouTube said. “This content may refer to topics that are considered controversial by advertisers, but in the end it is convenient to run ads. For example, content may be in a fictional context or voiced from personal experience through or in a non-graphic way. So, as long as the content avoids scenes or segments that are descriptive or graphic, the creator can now get more advertising revenue.”
The move comes as YouTube has been overhauling how it implements content on its platform.
The company told moderators last year to leave out videos that might violate the platform’s rules if they were deemed to be in the public interest. The New York Times reported when the video included discussions of political, social, and cultural issues. The policy shift comes when social media platforms roll back the moderation of online speech after President Donald Trump returned to office.
YouTube notes that there are still some areas where advertising will remain restricted, as topics like child abuse, including child sex trafficking and eating disorders, are not included in this update. Descriptive segments of the topic or surrounding dramatized content remain ineligible for ad revenue.