Official Blog
5 ways we’re toughening our approach to protect families on YouTube and YouTube Kids
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
In recent months, we've noticed a growing trend around content on YouTube that attempts to pass as family-friendly, but is clearly not. While some of these videos may be suitable for adults, others are completely unacceptable, so we are working to remove them from YouTube. Here’s what we’re doing:
Tougher application of our Community Guidelines and faster enforcement through technology:
We have always had strict policies against child endangerment, and we partner closely with regional authorities and experts to help us enforce these policies and report to law enforcement through NCMEC. In the last couple of weeks we expanded our enforcement guidelines around removing content featuring minors that may be endangering a child, even if that was not the uploader’s intent. In the last week we terminated over 50 channels and have removed thousands of videos under these guidelines, and we will continue to work quickly to remove more every day. We also implemented policies to
age-restrict
(only available to people over 18 and logged in) content with family entertainment characters but containing mature themes or adult humor. To help surface potentially violative content, we are applying machine learning technology and automated tools to quickly find and escalate for human review.
Removing ads from inappropriate videos targeting families:
Back in June,
we posted an update
to our advertiser-friendly guidelines making it clear that we will remove ads from any content depicting family entertainment characters engaged in violent, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate behavior, even if done for comedic or satirical purposes. Since June, we've removed ads from 3M videos under this policy and we’ve further strengthened the application of that policy to remove ads from another 500K violative videos.
Blocking inappropriate comments on videos featuring minors:
We have historically used a combination of automated systems and human flagging and review to remove inappropriate sexual or predatory comments on videos featuring minors. Comments of this nature are abhorrent and we work with NCMEC to report illegal behavior to law enforcement. Starting this week we will begin taking an even more aggressive stance by turning off all comments on videos of minors where we see these types of comments.
Providing guidance for creators who make family-friendly content:
We've created a platform for people to view family-friendly content -- YouTube Kids. We want to help creators produce quality content for the YouTube Kids app, so in the coming weeks we will release a comprehensive guide on how creators can make enriching family content for the app.
Engaging and learning from experts:
While there is some content that clearly doesn’t belong on YouTube, there is other content that is more nuanced or challenging to make a clear decision on. For example, today, there are many cartoons in mainstream entertainment that are targeted towards adults, and feature characters doing things we wouldn’t necessarily want children to see. Those may be OK for YouTube.com, or if we require the viewer to be over 18, but not for someone younger. Similarly, an adult dressed as a popular family character could be questionable content for some audiences, but could also be meant for adults recorded at a comic book convention. To help us better understand how to treat this content, we will be growing the number of experts we work with, and doubling the number of Trusted Flaggers we partner with in this area.
Across the board we have scaled up resources to ensure that thousands of people are working around the clock to monitor, review and make the right decisions across our ads and content policies. These latest enforcement changes will take shape over the weeks and months ahead as we work to tackle this evolving challenge. We’re wholly committed to addressing these issues and will continue to invest the engineering and human resources needed to get it right. As a parent and as a leader in this organization, I’m determined that we do.
Johanna Wright, Vice President of Product Management at YouTube
A new way for artists to sell tickets and update fans about upcoming shows
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Cross-posted from the
YouTube Artist Blog
At YouTube, we understand the importance of helping artists find ways to build deeper connections with their fans -- the ones who not only watch and listen to videos, but are also willing to pay to see live performances. And, with live concerts becoming a bigger driver of revenue for artists, we want to help artists reach those fans, keep them updated about upcoming shows, and sell more tickets.
We’ve been experimenting with ways we can offer a ticketing experience to fans and we’re excited to announce our first ticketing partnership with Ticketmaster. Starting today, we will begin featuring hundreds of artist’s upcoming U.S. tour dates on their YouTube videos. Fans enjoying an artist's official music video on YouTube can now learn about upcoming concert listings and with a simple click, go to Ticketmaster to purchase tickets.
YouTube’s massive fan base paired with Ticketmaster’s global roster of concerts and security of verified tickets means we can easily connect a fan’s discovery of music on YouTube to their ability to purchase concert tickets.
We’re just getting started. We’ll be rolling out this feature to all artists who have Ticketmaster shows in North America with plans to expand globally. And, as part of our ongoing commitment to support artists, we’ll continue to find additional ways to make meaningful fan and artist connections.
The YouTube Music team
Celebrating Veterans Day
Friday, November 10, 2017
From heartwarming homecoming videos to personal vlogs about their service experiences, veterans turn to YouTube to help share their stories and form community. Thanks to their videos, we’ve been able to learn about some of the incredible individuals who serve our country, whether it’s Missy Lynn speaking out about
her experience in the Air Force
, Nick Bare chronicling his journey from
the start of a new business
to his
last day in the Army
, or a son sharing his Army Veteran father’s
experience with dementia
.
Ahead of this year's Veterans Day, YouTube is sharing a new video to honor veterans for their service and all of the things they do every day -- for their families, for their communities, and for our nation. To those of us who haven’t served, Veterans Day is also an opportunity for us to better understand what it means to be a member of the armed forces — in any country — and the contributions and sacrifices that military personnel and their families make on our behalf.
Every Veterans Day, we see a resurgence in popularity of certain video genres on YouTube, including surprise reunions and homecoming videos. Millions of people have been moved by these videos of veterans coming together with their loved ones, so to pay tribute to these special moments, we’re also revealing a list of top viewed veteran homecoming videos on the platform:
German Shepherd Fetches Ball, Returns to Find His Soldier Home from Deployment
(21M+ views)
Scuba Soldier - Back From Afghanistan Early - Surprises Family
(19M+ views)
Soldier welcomed home by happy dog!!! Drill Weekend
(15M+ views)
Cat Welcomes Home Soldier (awesome)
(13M+ views)
Dog Welcomes Home Soldier...Again
(12M+ views)
Soldier Surprises His Son
(9M+ views)
U.S. Marine Surprises His Sister During College Graduation Ceremony
(9M+ views)
Soldier Surprises Younger Sister At School, Tears Follow
(9M+ views)
Soldier dad surprises son during school assembly
(8M+ views)
Military Son Surprises Dad at 70th Birthday Party
(7M+ views)
A Heartwarming Surprise Military Reunion
(7M+ views)
U.S. Soldier Surprises Her Son During High School Football Game
(7M+ views)
U.S. Soldier Surprises Sister During High School Lunch Raffle
(6M+ views)
Soldiers Surprise Daughter at School Magic Show!
(6M+ views)
Soldier Surprises Mother in Kitchen
(6M+ views)
Airman comes home to handicapped dog from 6 month deployment!
(6M+ views)
Soldier Coming Home; Dog's Reaction
(6M+ views)
Military Mom Surprises Son at School
(5M+ views)
Woman Sobs Uncontrollably at the Surprise Return of Her Husband, a U.S. Army Soldier
(5M+ views)
Surprise Military Family Welcome Home at South Carolina Football Game
(5M+ views)
Today and every day, we at YouTube want to say thank you, veterans, for all you have done and continue to do for our country.
Danielle Tiedt, Chief Marketing Office at YouTube, recently watched "
Military Hair and Makeup Tutorial
."
Ozuna: 'Música Sin Fronteras' - Appeal of Puerto Rico's reggaeton sensation knows no borders
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
“Back then there was salsa,” reflects 25-year-old Puerto Rican superstar Ozuna in the new documentary “Musica Sin Fronteras.” “In another era you had rock, then you had time for electronic music. Well now today it’s time for reggaeton.”
Led by the meteoric rise of “Despacito,” with its 4 billion views and counting, reggaeton and other Latin genres have dominated YouTube’s charts all year, with no signs of slowing. Currently, six of the top ten music videos on YouTube’s charts are by Latin artists, with tracks like J Balvin’s “Mi Gente” looking like they might give “Despacito” a run for its record-breaking money.
Arriving right on cue is Ozuna, who for the past three weeks has reigned at the top slot of the global YouTube Artists chart. Produced by YouTube, “Musica Sin Fronteras” traces Ozuna’s rise from local talent shows at his school to the biggest stages in the world, all while celebrating Puerto Rico’s vibrant musical culture.
“YouTube is a universal platform that allows me to reach people in Japan, China or Egypt, countries that I would never be able to reach otherwise” the San Juan, Puerto Rico, native explains. “It is the most important platform to reach the entire world.”
Writing his first song at the young age of 12, Ozuna found early inspiration from other Puerto Rican artists who turned to YouTube to spread their music. What followed were a series of do-it-yourself videos showcasing the young singer and songwriter’s undeniable raw talent. “They were low-budget videos: just us in the rain with a camera and an umbrella." Ozuna explains with a laugh. "But they came from the heart. It was starting something from nothing.”
With time the production quality increased — and so did the view counts. Early fan favorites like 2015’s “Si Tu Marido No Te Quiere” crossed 100 million views within a year of being uploaded. But while this early work established the Puerto Rican native as an undeniable star, it was the release of his debut LP “Odisea” that helped Ozuna truly cement a chapter in reggaeton’s global success. A vast departure from the EDM maximalism that reggaeton was known for in the mid-’00s, the album’s distinct sound — replete with glowing trap beats, arresting dembow rhythms and Ozuna’s unmistakable falsetto — resonated far beyond San Juan, earning massive views in places like Bogotá (317 million), Mexico City (285 million), New York (74 million) and Barcelona (31 million). Ozuna’s subscriber count now stands at over 8.1 million, with his total views across the platform recently crossing the 8 billion views mark.
“I carefully try to plan how I release my music,” Ozuna explains of his continued viral success. “I start by uploading my music videos to YouTube before anywhere else. This is to guide everyone to one single place. That way they can enjoy the full experience: the song, the visuals, the meaning.”
It’s a strategy the singer took to new heights with the video for “Siguelo Bailando,” the latest single from his debut.
Teaming with YouTube
, Ozuna is leveraging the power of his social media following to speed up the release of the highly anticipated video — when the hashtag #SigueloBailando hits 20,000, fans across the world can simultaneously experience the video’s premiere on YouTube.
For Ozuna, the creative release is yet another way to spread his music to wider and wider audiences. “I put on YouTube one single and, in 20 hours, have 5 million, 6 million people,” the crooner recently explained to the
New York Times
on his continued success. “In one month, I have 100 million. In one year, 1 billion.”
The YouTube Music Team
Introducing kid profiles, new parental controls, and a new exciting look for kids, which will begin rolling out today!
Thursday, November 2, 2017
After talking to parents all over, we know that kids who love the YouTube Kids app are getting older and want a platform that’ll grow with them. Whether kids are watching Monster High, DC Kids, LEGO, learning their ABCs, or picking up the latest tricks in Minecraft, we want YouTube Kids to help. Here’s what’s new with YouTube Kids:
When you sign in with your Google account, you get:
Kid profiles to customize your kids’ experience: Now you can create a profile for each of your kids. Even better, kid profiles work across all different devices!
App design tailored to your kid’s age: When you enter a date of birth on the kid profile, YouTube Kids changes the way the app looks. Younger kids will get less text, while older kids will get more content on the home screens.
A new setup process: The new app parent setup process will give you detailed information to help you make the right choices for your family before your kids use the app.
Passcode for kids: Kids can set a secret passcode to get into their profile (and keep their brother or sister out). Don’t worry, you can always override their passcode.
Remember, our systems work hard to filter out more mature content from the app. But no system is perfect. If you find a video that you think should not be in the app, you can block it and flag it for review. This helps make YouTube Kids better for everyone.
YouTube Kids is now live in 37 countries, has more than 70 billion views in the app, and more than 11 million weekly active viewers.
We're looking at ways to build an even better experience for families. Coming soon, we'll give parents the option to have more content available in the app experience for their child. Our team is working to identify the most relevant content categories for tweens to make the app even more awesome.
*Not available in all markets. Kid profiles are available in the following markets: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Zimbabwe.
Balaji Srinivasan, YouTube Kids Engineering Director, recently watched
Can you solve the magnet riddle? ft YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki
.
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