YouTube will enforce new rules that are supposed to strengthen the enforcement of its guidelines around online gambling and graphic video game content starting on November 17. One of the biggest changes it’s implementing is age-restricting gaming videos featuring realistic human characters in scenes depicting torture or mass violence against non-combatants.
The streaming website says it will take into account the duration and prominence of the scene in a video when reviewing one. For compilation videos, it will consider the cumulative duration of the scenes classified as graphic under its policies. Any video placed behind an age check barrier will be inaccessible to viewers under 18 or to anybody who’s not signed into their Google accounts. YouTube didn’t specify the duration that would get a video restricted, but a spokesperson told The Verge that “certain content may be age-restricted if it’s non-fleeting or zoomed in.” Creators can get around the restriction, however, by blurring any violent scene.
In addition, YouTube is implementing stricter online gambling rules. It already prohibits videos directing people to online gambling sites or apps not certified by Google. Starting on November 17, it will also prohibit online gambling videos that involve items with monetary value, including digital goods like NFTs and game skins. The website is also age-restricting content with online casino-style games, even if they don’t involve items with real monetary value.
YouTube will review old videos and remove them or put them behind age checks if they’re found to be in violation of the new rules, but it will not issue strikes to creators if they were uploaded before November 17. Creators can also edit their videos before that date with the website’s trim and blur editing tools.
