YouTube will roll out new rules on November 17 to better enforce its guidelines on online gambling and graphic video game content. One major change targets gaming videos: YouTube will now age-restrict content showing realistic human characters in scenes of torture or widespread violence against people who are not fighters.
The streaming platform explained that it will look at how long a scene lasts and how prominent it is in a video. For videos that stitch together many clips, YouTube will add up the total time of all graphic scenes. If a video is age-restricted, viewers under 18 or anyone not signed in to their Google account won’t be able to watch it. YouTube didn’t give an exact time limit for restrictions, but a spokesperson told The Verge that “certain content may be age-restricted if it’s non-fleeting or zoomed in.” To avoid these restrictions, creators can blur violent content in their videos.
YouTube is also tightening its rules around online gambling. The platform already bans videos that send people to online gambling sites or apps not approved by Google. Starting November 17, it will also stop creators from posting online gambling videos that feature items worth real money, such as digital goods like NFTs and game skins. Additionally, YouTube will age-restrict videos featuring online casino-style games, even if those games don’t use real money or items with real-world value.
YouTube plans to review older videos and will either take them down or place them behind age restrictions if they break these new rules. However, creators will not get strikes against their channels for videos uploaded before November 17. This gives creators a chance to use YouTube’s editing tools, like trim and blur, to fix their videos before the new rules take full effect.
