Advertiser-friendly content guidelines

• “Censored profanity” refers to things like bleeping or muting the word as well as covering written words with black bars, symbols, or text added in post-production.
• “Abbreviated profanity” refers to an acronym like WTF (“what the f*ck”) where the original term is abbreviated by using its acronyms.

• Focal usage of profanity throughout a video (such as profanity used in most sentences).
• Profanity used in the title or thumbnail of music or stand up comedy content.

• Any use of hateful language in the video. Please refer to Hateful & derogatory content for more info.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

General violence

• Dramatized content depicting non-graphic violence or graphic violence.
  • In the course of a larger narrative, showing a fleeting scene involving physical harm (such as bullet wounds) as a part of a violent action scene.
  • Fighting violence excerpts from an action movie (such as scripted content) where injuries are mostly indiscernible.
  • People mourning as a result of a death in scripted content.
• Depiction of non-graphic injury.
  • A character falling on their knees where no or limited amount of blood is shown.
  • Tumbling down a hill or running into a wall accidentally or purposely as a part of a script or sports.

• Gaming violence including:
  • Graphic scenes (such as a gory attack on a person) outside the first 15 seconds of the video.
  • Violence that is unrealistic, playful, and generally acceptable for all ages (such as family-friendly video games depicting running from monsters).
  • Violence that is censored, blurred, or otherwise concealed (such as a blurred-out beheading scene).

• Educational or historical content with:
  • Non-graphic depictions of dead bodies.
    • Public honoring of the deceased showing a non-graphic dead body.
  • Fully censored (such as blurred out), graphic dead bodies.
• Coverage of tragedies involving one or more deaths (excluding sensitive events such as mass shootings or terrorist attacks) with limited or no display of violent acts or their results.
  • Reports of nearby homicide events without graphic descriptions of the casualties.
• Educational, dramatized, journalistic reporting or music videos containing:
  • Implied moment of death or severe bodily harm
  • Severe property damage where death or severe bodily harm likely occurred (such as bombings, fires, building collapses, etc).
  • Display of unprepared dead bodies in public funerals with open caskets.

• Hunting content where there’s no depiction of graphic animal injuries or prolonged suffering.
  • Hunting videos where the moment of kill or injury is indiscernible, and with no focal footage of how this dead animal is processed for trophy or food purposes.

• Non-graphic depictions of animal violence in the natural world.
  • Predators running after their prey where the graphic details (such as focus on bloody body parts of the prey or graphic moments of catching the prey) are not included; some blood may be visible fleetingly, but is not the focal subject of the content.

• Animals in distress during species-appropriate animal training, medical intervention or relocation.
• Coverage or discussion of animal abuse with no actual footage of the abuse.

• Violence in combat sports involving weapons (such as fencing) regardless of protective gear worn or safety precautions warranted.
• Non-graphic injuries in sports or graphic injuries as part of sports play where blood is shown.
  • Combat sports such as boxing conducted in a professional setting (such as in a fitness center or arena).
• Non-graphic injuries (such as twisting an ankle) portrayed in the sports play.

• Depictions of fights in an educational context with no visible injury or knockout.
  • Self-defense moves that are shared as a tutorial.
• Fleeting depictions of people fighting with no visible injury.

• Non-combative or non-abrasive interactions with law enforcement.
  • Normal interactions with police (such as asking for directions, receiving a parking ticket, etc.).
• Non-physical altercations with police, police seizure of or forcible entry onto a property, and police pursuit.
• Violent, combative, or abrasive interactions with law enforcement in an educational context or journalistic reporting.
  • Commentary using clips from a news report on a violent protest by civilians (such as hitting or pushing civilians down against the floor).
  • Reporting on police spraying water on civilians in a riot.

• Non-graphic educational coverage or discussion of war and/or conflict.
  • Shooting at unseen targets without display or depictions of suffering or agony.

• Videos featuring play-fighting or roughhousing between minors with no injuries or distress.
• Music content on violence between minors with no or only fleeting footage of such altercations displayed.

• “Mild violence” refers to scuffles in realistic content or fleeting acts of violence like punching.
• "Non-graphic violence" refers to portrayals of aggressive physical behavior towards another person like finger pointing while yelling or isolated acts of violence (such as throwing a bottle against a wall).

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

General violence

• Dramatized violence that results in serious injury where the aftermath or impact is visible and present.
  • Bloody or gory scenes where bones are visibly broken.
  • Dramatized, long-form video content with a short, ultra-graphic violent scene (such as a mass killing) or a video compilation of such graphic scenes.
  • Highly graphic descriptions of tragedies (in the form of audio or video).
  • People suffering from suffocation or experiencing severe agony and pain, such as from non-stop coughing.
  • Footage of disasters that involve visible harm to people or their resulting suffering, such as extreme emotional distress.
• Raw footage of ruins of destroyed buildings resulting from a violent event (such as ruins of schools after a typhoon) or people with light injuries (such as twisting ankles or applying bandages to fingers).

Gaming

• Graphic game violence in the thumbnail or in the first 8 to 15 seconds of the video. 
  • “Graphic game violence” includes brutal killings or severe injuries focusing on bodily fluids and parts such as beheadings and dismemberment. 

Death & tragedy

• Reporting of tragedies involving multiple casualties which include graphic or gruesome details.
  • A documentary on a recent homicide featuring descriptive language of the circumstances of death.

Fights (excluding combat sports)

• Street fights featuring visible injury or knockouts in an educational context.
  • Graphic street fighting including scenes featuring injuries and emotional distress (such as yelling).

Law enforcement & physical altercation

• Highly combative altercations with law enforcement, usually including acts of brutality committed by or against law enforcement.
  • Hitting civilians with sticks forcefully where injuries occur
  • Spitting on police 

Violence in sports play

• Graphic sports injuries as part of a larger video with context.
  • Compilations or highlights involving graphic injuries but not singularly focused on them.

Animal violence

• Animal violence in the natural world not caused by humans or human-trained animals (such as wild lions hunting deers, but not trained dogs catching rabbits).
  • When focal, prolonged graphic animal injuries (such as blood or bones) are the focal subject of a video.

Hunting

• Hunting content featuring fleeting graphic imagery such as injured or suffering animals (such as bloody body parts) portrayed in the content.

War & conflict

• Real, non-graphic raw footage of armed conflict (such as war) without educational context, with no gory scenes or explicit injuries.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

General violence

• Focus on blood, guts, gore, bodily fluids (human or animal), crime scenes or accident photos with little to no context.
• Displaying the graphic aftermath of an act of violence that includes extremely shocking imagery, including:
  • Heavy display of blood or gore (such as open wounds like amputated leg or severe burns)
  • Severe agony (such as people crying or fainting due to extreme pain from open wounds)
• Content featuring shocking, graphic, and/or violent imagery, or scenes of incitement to or glorification of violence.

Gaming

• Focus on gameplay manufactured to create a shocking experience. Examples include: 
  • Aggregating non-playable characters for mass killings.
• Graphic game violence in the thumbnail or in the first seven seconds of the video.
  • “Graphic game violence” includes severe injuries (such as beheadings, dismemberment) focusing on bodily fluids and/or parts with prolonged or severe agony.
• Video gameplay showing sexual violence.
• Video gameplay showing violence motivated by hate or violence targeting protected groups.
• Video gameplay showing graphic torture.
• Video gameplay showing graphic violence directed at minors.
• Video gameplay showing graphic violence directed at real named persons.

Death & tragedy

• Display of unprepared dead bodies or those with ultra-graphic injuries.
• Display of unprepared dead bodies in non-educational contexts.
• Visible display of the moment of death of one or more individuals in any context.
  • Death by suffocation.
  • Car with passengers visible falls off a bridge.
• Implied moment of death or severe bodily harm.
  • Severe property damage where death or severe bodily harm likely occurred (such as bombings, fires, building collapses, etc).
• Non-educational censored (such as blurred) graphic dead bodies.

Fights (excluding combat sports)

• Focal or prolonged display of street fights, even without injuries, in non-educational contexts.

Hunting

• Hunting content featuring focal graphic imagery of injured or suffering animals (such as bloody body parts).

Animal abuse

• Display or depiction of animal abuse (both physical or emotional) or animal cruelty, such as kicking.
• Promotion or glorification of human-controlled animal violence (such as cockfighting or dogfighting) which may or may not involve graphic imagery.
• Footage of animals in distress induced by human intervention, such as the purposeful placement of an animal in harm’s way, in strained positions or other dangerous scenarios deemed stressful or unnatural.

Law enforcement & physical altercation

• Focal display of police brutality in a non-educational context.

Violence in sports play

• Sports videos where the display of graphic injury is the central subject of the video.

War & conflict

• Graphic images or accounts of shootings, explosions, executions, or bombings.
• Footage of war with graphic depictions of injury, death, or suffering in any context.

Violence concerning minors

• Content focally depicting violence between minors in any context or featuring injury or distress to the participants.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

Sexually gratifying content

• Romantic scenes that aren’t sexually gratifying, such as animated, real-life, or dramatized kiss or cuddling scenes.
  • Scenes involving sexual tension between characters without explicit depictions of sexual acts.
  • A kissing scene in a larger narrative where the focus is the romance itself and is not intended to be sexually gratifying.
  • Fleeting implied sexual acts without visible genitals, such as showing shaking beds, moaning, or dry humping.
• Discussions of sex in non-sexually gratifying/comedic contexts:
  • Lyrics or dialogues referring to passion, desire, or lust.
  • Sex education.
  • Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and how they are transmitted.
  • Sexual experiences (such as dealing with pain after a sexual intercourse) which focus exclusively on how sex works, and do not recount how to improve performance.
  • Sperm donation.
  • Scientific representations of reproductive anatomy using diagrams or dummies.
  • Sexual orientation and/or how sexual identity evolves amid relationships.
  • Usage of sexual jokes and innuendos (such as mimicking sex acts in a humorous way) that does not use vulgar or obscene terms (such as music lyrics referencing sexual tension).
  • Content which refers to fetishes in a non-sexual way (such as “what is your favorite food or food fetish?”).

Dance

• Sexy dance moves, such as gyrating or rolling one's hips or waist.
• Twerking or grinding.
• Fleeting minimal clothing while dancing.
• Fleeting caresses of sexual body parts.
• Partnered dancers in close bodily contact. For example, their pelvic areas are in close contact.
• Dance moves that mimic or simulate sexual acts, such as pelvic thrusting or erotic lap dances, presented in a professional setting (e.g. dance studios).
• Music videos featuring recurring shots of sexual body parts.

Nudity

• Censored nudity where nudity isn’t the focus, such as scenes where characters may be nude but no nipples, butt, or genitalia are visible (such as they are completely pixelated/blurred).
  • Blurred nudity of historical figures wearing limited clothing in educational contexts.
  • Fully-censored genitalia that are indiscernible and shown for non-sexual purposes, such as medical procedures.
• Depictions of people wearing limited clothing where the presentation isn’t intended to be sexually gratifying, such as bikinis worn at the swimming pool.
  • Clothing reviews focused on the form and function of the clothing rather than a sustained focus on body parts underneath, such as breasts.
  • Artistic expressions, such as sculptures, sketches, or computer-generated graphics involving illustrated nudity, such as characters in classic art or photography of indigenous people in loincloths.
  • Translucent or sheer coverings of female breasts/cleavage, buttocks, or male torsos seen in appropriate settings, such as fashion show runways, medical exams, or at a recreational beach.
  • Visible partial nudity as part of sports, such as boxing where such attire may be required.
  • Sheer or minimally-covered breasts or butts (such as when wearing swimwear) that are both not sexually gratifying and not a focal point of the video.
• Objects used to simulate the weight or appearance of genitalia on the body, excluding those used for sexual gratification.
  • Artificial breasts used by those who have had mastectomies, or by members of the trans and/or non-binary community.
  • Devices used by the trans and/or non-binary community, such as stand-to-pee devices or flaccid packers. 

Breastfeeding nudity

• A woman breastfeeding her child with her nipples uncovered or visible.
• Demonstrating hand expression or breast pump usage with nipples visible and a child in the scene.

Definitions:

• “Sexually gratifying” refers to an intent to sexually arouse an audience.
• “Sexual innuendo” refers to any use of a phrase to suggest or joke about something sexual.
• “Sexually suggestive” refers to visual, audible, or written-out undertones implying intent to sexually arouse an audience.
• “Graphicness” refers to how explicitly the sexual act or nudity is portrayed in order to excite the audience.
• “Breastfeeding nudity” refers to exposed breasts and/or nipples in the context of breastfeeding or lactation. Must include contextual reference to breastfeeding, such as a child about to breastfeed or active lactation.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

Sexually gratifying content

• Titles or thumbnails with sexualized themes (including misleading signals).
  • Music videos with thumbnails or titles with sexualized themes (including misleading signals).
  • Descriptions of or implicit references to sexual activities (such as implicit references to sexual body parts using emojis or graphics).
  • Circling out or otherwise calling attention to something in a thumbnail which suggests implied sexual acts.
  • Sex workers featured as an entity.
  • Sexual activities (including implied sexual acts).
  • Sexual innuendos, such as moaning sounds or ear nibbling.
  • Sex toys or devices featured in the content even when not used. 
• Depictions of non-arousing sexual activities in educational, documentary, or dramatized content.
  • Sexual activities and their histories explained for educational purposes, such as with medical topics.
• Sex-related content, such as documentaries about the sex industry.
• Educational and documentary content containing:
  • Discussion of intimate sexual experiences, such as their personal tips learned as a sex worker or obscene languages used as part of intimate conversation.
• Titles or thumbnails featuring adult content in classical arts.

Dance

• Twerking or grinding where the focus is on the dancer's minimal clothing.
• Dances where a partner grabs their partner's breasts or butt, or where one dancer puts their hands under their partner's clothing.
• Deliberately zooming in on sexual body parts in dance.

Nudity

• Educational or documentary content featuring full nudity.
  • History or industry overviews relating to sex or nudity, such as showcasing full body paintings.
• Classical art featuring discernible genitals.

Definitions:

• “Censored nudity” refers to things like blurring, covering nudity with black bars or pixelation.
• Implied sexual act: Behavior that mimics sexual intercourse, such as dry humping.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

Sexually gratifying content

• Titles or thumbnails with sexualized themes (including misleading signals).
  • Descriptions of or implicit references to sexual activities (such as implicit reference to sexual body parts using emojis or graphics).
  • Circling out or otherwise calling attention to something in a thumbnail which suggests implied sexual acts.
  • Misleading title where a video promises sexual content, but it doesn't have it (such as a cooking video with the title “watch porn”).
  • Computer-generated nudity in a medical context.
• Focal, implicit sexual act or behavior.
  • The main subject of the video suggests sexual activity is occurring, such as shaking objects, moaning sounds, etc.
• Depictions of sex toys, sexual devices, or other products intended to enhance sexual activity even where they aren’t in use.
  • Unintentional display of a sexual device in a video that is irrelevant to sexual topics (such as displayed in the background).
  • A medical object which resembles genitalia introduced during a discussion.
• Scenes with sexually graphic dancing, groping, or making out to sexually arouse audiences.
  • Short scenes on sexual activities (including implied sex acts) as a part of a larger narrative.
  • Scenes where the main focus is to showcase sexual tension.
• Sexual innuendos using non-sexually gratifying objects:
  • Objects resembling genitalia, such as human figurines with realistic genitalia.
  • The use of daily objects (such as eggplants) or emojis intended to resemble genitals and sexually arouse audiences.
• Sexually explicit audio, text, or dialogue:
  • Sex-related entertainment, such as pornography or other sexual services (including links to paid subscription adult content platforms).
  • Graphic sexual acts or simulations intended to gratify.
  • Depictions of fetishes (such as guides or walkthroughs).
  • Focus on sex scandals or the leaking of private intimate material.
  • Imitating or mimicking sexual activities (such as pornographic media).
  • Promotions of sexual acts in exchange for compensation.
  • Actual usage of sex toys (or other products intended to enhance sexual activity).
  • Misleading sexual behavior or nudity-related content.
    • Thumbnails intending to mislead viewers with sexualized depictions of normal objects or scenes, oftentimes unrelated to the actual video topic.
  • Scenes that are edited with the intent to sexually arouse.
    • Compilations of sexually gratifying acts, such as scenes of making out or humping.
    • Sexually gratifying titles (such as “A hot make-out session”).
  • Animal sexuality when:
    • Mating videos where the focus is on the genitals.
    • Animal genitals or mating shown in a sexually gratifying manner.

• Discussions of intimate sexual experiences, such as masturbation, orgasm, intercourse, tips, or other sexual acts. This may also include sexual innuendos or sexually explicit or obscene text or audio, such as detailed conversations about sex.
  • Explicit discussions on sex tips or how to have sex.
  • Audio or sound compilations of sexual acts without pictures or visual scenes of the act (such as ear licking and nibbling sounds).
  • Descriptions of sexual activities which intend to sexually arouse audiences.
  • Mentions of sexual fetishes even when it’s not descriptive.
  • Titles or thumbnails referencing adult content, such as 18+, 21+, ‘adult only,’ ‘porn,’ etc., unless it’s educational or documentary in context.
  • Usage of emoticons or emojis in text representing sexual body parts or acts to gratify viewers.
• Sexual video games that are targeting adults or sexualizing video game characters with the intent to gratify the audience.

Dance

• Daggering moves where one partner roughly thrusts their genitals into their partner's genital region.
• Straddling or spreading one's legs open towards their dance partner as if engaging in a sex act.
• Lap dances or strip teases, unless performed as a choreographed dance, music video, or otherwise in a professional setting.

Nudity

• Pixelated or censored nudity where the sexual body parts are still recognizable.
  • Scenes with naked bodies starred or blurred, but still identifiable from their silhouettes.
• Non-fleeting depictions of nudity (animated, real-life, or dramatized).
  • Content featuring (either through focus or repeated showing) breasts or genital areas (such as content featuring a person's genital area "bulge" protruding from their lingerie or swimwear).
• Depictions of sexual body parts, such as recurring or focal shots of cleavage or bulges, intended to sexually arouse audiences.
  • Compilations of visibly recognizable turgid genital outlines.
  • Minimally-covered (such as thongs) sexual body parts (such as breasts, cleavage, buttocks, etc.) frequently appearing.
• Real or animated nudity, such as full exposure of sexual body parts or sex acts. 
• Child nudity
  • Content showing visible genitals, such as when changing a diaper or babies swimming fully naked.

Breastfeeding nudity

• Educational content about how to use a breast pump where nipples are visible but no child is present.
• Hand expression tutorials where nipples are visible without a child present in the scene.
• Showing a woman lactating into a cup without a child present in the scene.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

General harmful or dangerous acts

• Activities where risk is involved with no visible injuries such as:
  • Professional stunts or extreme sports such as wingsuit flying.
  • Footage of a person doing wheelies or ground-level parkour.
  • Motor vehicles speeding or drifting without doing dangerous tricks (such as stand up wheelies or free hands) or causing frequent disruptions to others (such as driving in between lanes).

Fail compilations

• Fail compilation videos without a focus on graphic injuries (such as walking into a glass door). 

Pranks & challenges

• Pranks or challenges where there is perplexity, confusion, or discomfort but no risk or long-term harm is involved such as the ice bucket challenge.
• Discussions or reports about harmful pranks or challenges with no footage or audio of the moment of harm (such as reports on a fire challenge without the details of the incident).
• Educational, documentary, or news report content showcasing pranks or challenges that cause extreme emotional distress (such as physical fights, abusive language and insults, such as “you’re fired!” pranks).

Medical and scientific misinformation

• Neutral content about viruses, infectious diseases, and COVID-19 without the intent of inciting fear (such as a video for kids on the difference between viruses and bacteria).

Harmful misinformation

• Educational or documentary content seeking to explain how groups promoting harmful misinformation gain traction, rise to prominence, and/or spread misinformation.
• Educational or documentary content with a focus on debunking harmful misinformation such as Pizzagate, QAnon, StopTheSteal, etc.
• Educational or documentary content seeking to debunk climate change misinformation.

Vaping & tobacco 

• Public service announcements for preventative actions.
• Dramatized content with focal depiction of usage.
• Educational or documentary content showcasing industries involving vaping/tobacco.

Alcohol

• Presence of alcohol or adults drinking alcohol in content without promoting or glorifying irresponsible drinking.

Foreign terrorist organizations (FTO)

• Educational, journalistic reports, or music videos discussing a terrorist attack as a central subject.
• Educational or dramatized content on these groups as a general subject without footage of terrorist attacks.
• Journalistic reportings featuring FTOs or terrorism with comedic intent.
• Educational, dramatized, journalistic reports, or music videos featuring FTO images but otherwise not mentioned as a main topic of the content. 

Drug trade organizations (DTO)

• Educational, dramatized, journalistic reports or music videos focusing on the international drug trade as a whole.
• Educational, dramatized, journalistic reports, or music videos portraying DTOs and related imagery like slogans.
• Any videos featuring comedic content covering DTOs or international drug trading as a subject.
• Public service announcements on the related groups covered in journalistic reports.
• Journalistic reports including scenes of violent situations and actions such as hostages or interrogation conducted by DTOs.

Definitions:

• “Seriously injured” refers to injuries that cannot be treated without proper medical care or cannot be treated at home such as broken bones, visible dislocations, or significant amounts of blood.
• Body modification may include things like tattoo, piercing, or medical surgery.
• “Dramatized” refers to scripted content such as movies or fictional settings.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

General harmful or dangerous acts

• Acts involving high risk activities such as skyscraper parkour or depicting serious injury like skate slam aftermath.
• Educational, documentary, or news report on: 
  • Harmful or dangerous acts with graphic injury.
  • Children involved in gambling or driving motor vehicles designed for use by adults. 
• Motor vehicles speeding or drifting and doing dangerous tricks (e.g. stand up wheelie or free hands) or causing frequent disruptions to others (e.g. driving in between lanes). 

• Educational, dramatized or music video content showcasing dangerous acts that include a minor as a participant or victim.

Fail compilations

• Focal depictions of moments with graphic injuries that do not lead to death or terminal conditions (e.g. video compilation of road bike crashes).

Pranks & challenges

• Educational, documentary, or news reports on prank or challenge content with:
  • Threats or advocacy for physical or psychological harm against oneself or others such as laying flat between train tracks. 
  • Acts that should not be imitated such as a challenge to drink bleach and may result in immediate and critical harm to one’s health.
• Pranks or challenges that create extreme emotional distress such as physical altercations, abusive language and insults. These can also include threatening an individual’s life status such as layoff pranks or by emotionally evoking or threatening someone in the context of a relationship (e.g. break up pranks where one person becomes emotionally volatile, or arrest pranks against relatives, etc.).
• Pranks involving gratuitous amounts of body fluids or graphic violence.
• Challenges that include eating non-toxic, non-edible substances such as ingesting a glue stick or pet food. Eating edible substances that are harmful in large volumes such as the Carolina Reaper pepper, or ones that depict a mild physical reaction. 

Vaping & tobacco

• Product reviews of or comparison between tobacco products (e.g. vaping juice comparison).
• Educational or documentary mention of addiction services.

Alcohol

• Educational, documentary, or dramatized content featuring minors consuming alcohol or alcohol-focused products. 

Foreign terrorist organizations (FTO)

• Comedic videos references to FTOs or terrorism.
• Educational, documentary, or music videos featuring comedic references to FTOs. 
• FTO related images shared but not the main topic or theme of the content. 

Drug trade organizations (DTO)

• Public service announcements on the related groups shared without a context.
• Educational or documentary content or public service announcements on DTOs.
  • Educational content focused primarily on specific DTOs or DTO leaders.
  • May include non-graphic situations of attacks or and their aftermath, hostage situations, etc.
  • Public service announcements on the related groups.
  • Violent situations and actions such as hostages or interrogation conducted by DTOs. 

Definitions:

• “Mild physical reaction” refers to things like dry heaving, vomit-inducing cough.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

General harmful or dangerous acts

• Glorification of harmful or dangerous acts or acts perceived to be dangerous.
  • Motor vehicles with shocking scenes and injuries (e.g. of the moment of impact or showing someone in an unconscious state on a road after getting hit by a truck).
• Children involved in gambling or driving motor vehicles designed for use by adults.

• Dangerous acts that include a minor as a participant or victim.

Fail compilations

• Fail compilations that include activities resulting in death or grievous damage (irreversible or puts the person into coma, seizure, paralysis, etc.).

Pranks & challenges

• Pranks or challenges that should not be imitated such as a challenge to drink chlorine and may result in immediate and critical harm to one’s health.
• Pranks or challenges relating to:
  • Suicide, death, terrorism such as fake bomb scare pranks, or threats with lethal weapons.
  • Sexually unwanted acts such as forced kissing, groping, sexual abuse, spy cams in dress room.
  • Physical harm or distress but where such distress is not the focus of the video.
  • Prolonged emotional distress of a minor such as a prank that lasts for an extended period of time leading to a child being scared or upset. This could include pranking children into believing their parents are dead.
  • Threats or advocating for physical or psychological harm against oneself or others such as laying flat between train tracks.
  • COVID-19, that promote dangerous activities such as purposeful exposure to the virus or which incite panic (e.g. an anti-quarantine movement or pretending to have been tested positive while in a public space).
  • Promoting the use of weapons to inflict harm on others.
  • Showing the consumption of substances in such quantities that it results in a graphically shocking physical reaction such as vomiting after eating a ghost pepper.
  • Challenges which, if replicated, could result in serious harm such as fire challenge or bird box challenge.
  • Encouragement of fraudulent or illicit activities (e.g. breaking and entering).

Medical and scientific misinformation

• Promoting harmful health or medical claims or practices:
  • Denying that established health conditions exist, for example, HIV.
  • Videos that encourage or provide instructions for scientifically unproven remedies for medical conditions (e.g. healing cancer through diet choices).
  • Spreading misinformation that denies established medical and scientific facts, such as promoting anti-vaccination.
  • Content that promotes or condones gay conversion therapy programs or services.
• Promoting or advocating for COVID-19 harmful misinformation:
  • Content which discourages taking a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • False or misleading claims about the effects or distribution of the vaccine. This can include:
    • Claims that the vaccine will cause infertility.
    • Claims that the vaccine contains a microchip.
    • Claims that vaccines may be used to euthanize parts of a population.
  • Claims that masks or social distancing do not minimize getting or spreading COVID-19.
  • Claims about the spread of COVID-19 that aren't based on established medical and scientific facts (e.g. that it’s carried through 5G wireless signals).
  • Videos that encourage or provide instructions for scientifically unproven remedies for COVID-19 (e.g. injecting Hydroxychloroquine).

Harmful misinformation

• Making claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process.
  • Demonstrably false information about public voting procedures, political candidate eligibility based on age or birthplace, election results, or census participation that contradicts official government records.
• Promoting harmful misinformation (e.g. Pizzagate, QAnon, StopTheSteal).
• Advocating for groups which promote harmful misinformation.
• Contradicting authoritative scientific consensus on the existence of and causes behind climate change.

Vaping & tobacco

• Promoting tobacco and tobacco-related products and their consumption.
• Footage of minors consuming vaping/tobacco products.
• Facilitating the sale of vaping/tobacco products.
• Usage of vaping/tobacco products in a manner not intended by the manufacturer (e.g. drinking vape juice).

Alcohol

• Portrayal of minors consuming alcohol, even if it’s not the central subject of the video.
• Promoting alcohol consumption to minors.

Foreign terrorist organizations (FTO)

• Non-educational videos focusing on FTOs or the subject of terrorism, such as:
  • Discussions of a terrorist attack as a central subject.
  • Relevant imagery or names of the group/leader anywhere in the content (such as in the thumbnail).
• Content featuring shocking, graphic, and/or violent imagery, or scenes of incitement to or glorification of violence.
• Content made by or in support of terrorist groups.
• Content that celebrates or denies terrorist attacks.

Drug trade organizations (DTO)

• Non-educational videos focused on specific DTOs, DTO leaders, or international drug trading.
  • Random, unintended discussion of this topic in a video means it is “non-educational”, as there is no explicit announcement that the video’s intent is to explain the topic.
• Non-educational depictions of DTO-related imagery such as flags, slogans, banners, etc.
• Recruitment of group members.
• Violent situations and actions such as hostages or interrogation conducted by DTOs.

Some examples of content that fall into this category:

• Educational content about drugs or drug paraphernalia, such as the scientific effects of drug use or the history of drug trafficking.
• Personal accounts of drug addiction recovery.
• Music videos with fleeting depiction of drugs.
• Gaming content displaying drug dealings. 
• Documentary or journalistic reports on the purchase, fabrication, usage, or distribution of drugs, such a story about a drug bust.
• Dramatized, documentary, or journalistic report including gaming scenes with consumption or usage (such as injection) of drugs.

Some examples of content that fall into this category:

• Dramatized content, including music and video games, showing recreational drug usage.
  • Scenes of injecting drugs to get high in a scripted content.

Some examples of content that fall into this category:

• Sharing drug reviews and drug insights.
  • Tips or recommendations on recreational drug usage or creation, such as cannabis farming.
  • Reviews of cannabis coffee shops, head shops, dealers, dispensary tours, etc.
  • Selling or buying drugs online or offline.
    • Sharing links to drug purchasing sites or the physical addresses of drug purchasing locations.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

• Discussions on gun legislation or the issue of gun control.
• Gun reviews and demonstrations.
• Content featuring optical scopes and silencers.
• Prop guns when not used to harm a person or property.

Definitions:

• A “safe environment” refers to locations like shooting ranges or enclosed areas that are purpose built for target practice.
• “Modifications” refer to anything that interferes, enhances or changes the internal functioning of the product, as well as hair triggers, bump stocks, and explosive/incendiary ammunition, or other attachments such as thermal/infrared sights or large capacity magazines. 
• A “prop gun” is a non-functioning firearm by design. This definition includes guns designed to only fire blanks (blank firing guns). 
   

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

• Showing guns being used in unprepared or uncontrolled environments (e.g. on a public street outside a home, or anywhere bystanders or other people’s property are put at risk).

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

• Guides as to how to add bump stocks to a firearm.
• Recommendations of top gun manufacturers or firms from which to purchase firearms (e.g. “15 best gun shops”).
• Referring users directly to a site facilitating gun sales.
• Promotions of the sale of a firearm or component, including but not limited to:
  • Sale of a firearm-related part or component that is essential to, or enhances the functionality of a firearm including:
  • 80% finished gun-parts
  • Ammunition
  • Ammunition clips
  • Silencers
  • Ammunition belts
  • Stocks
  • Conversion kits
  • Gun-grips
  • Scopes
  • Sights
• Videos which promote content for gun stores.
• Videos which promote manufacturers or discount codes for gun stores.
• Videos containing firearm-making instructions (e.g. replicable gun assembly/disassembly or steps on gun modifications), guides, or software, or equipment for 3D printing of guns or gun parts.
• Assembly/disassembly of a firearm for the purpose of modification.

Some examples of content that fall into this category: 

• Non-graphic, non-descriptive, main topic news coverage of controversial issues.
• Non-graphic abortion content, including personal accounts, opinion pieces, or medical procedure content.
• Content that covers historical or legislative facts related to abortion.
• Journalistic side topic reporting of non-graphic, non-descriptive content related to suicide/self-harm, adult sexual abuse, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, or euthanasia.
• Dramatized or artistic depictions of controversial issues that are not highly graphic.
  • A movie that shows someone jumping off of a bridge, but the dead graphic body isn’t shown.
• General reference to eating disorders without triggering or imitable signals.  

Title & thumbnail: 

• References to controversial issues that are non-graphic.
  • Text or image of a razor.

Definitions: 

• Fleeting references are not the focus of content (not focal) and include passing references to topics listed as controversial or sensitive. For example, briefly acknowledging a controversial or sensitive topic wouldn’t be considered focal, but rather fleeting. 
  • Such as “In next week’s video we’ll be discussing declining rates of suicide.”
• Triggering or imitable signals:   
  • Lowest BMI or weight.
  • Showing an overly thin or emaciated body.
  • Weight or body-based shaming or bullying.
  • Reference to binging, hiding, or hoarding food.
  • Exercising to reach a caloric deficit.
  • Vomiting or abusing laxatives.
  • Checking weight loss progress.
  • Reference to hiding any of the above behaviors.

Some examples of content that also fall into this category: 

• Content that discusses child abuse as a main topic without detailed descriptions or graphic depictions.
• Dramatized or artistic depiction of eating disorders with triggering or imitable signals. 
• Dramatized or animated depictions of controversial issues that are not highly graphic without educational or artistic context. 
• Dramatized or artistic depictions of controversial issues that are moderately graphic. 
  • A movie depicts someone cutting their wrist with blood shown.
• Eating disorder recovery stories such as a person’s journey to overcome bulimia.

Title & thumbnail: 

• Graphic depictions of controversial issues in the thumbnail, including real, dramatized, and artistic depictions. 

Some examples of content that also fall into this category:

• Detailed, shocking, first person account or biography of survivors discussing their past experiences with:
  • Child abuse
  • Pedophilia
  • Self-harm
  • Suicide
  • Domestic abuse
  • Euthanasia
• Promotion or glorification of controversial issues in the content, title, or thumbnail such as "how to kill yourself and die honorably.”
• Graphic depiction of self-harm where scars, blood, or injury are visible. 
• Explicit audio of a controversial issue taking place.
• Explicit reference to eating disorders with triggering or imitable signals.
• Depictions of controversial issues that are moderately graphic without educational or artistic context.
  • Raw footage of someone cutting their wrist with blood shown.
• Animated depiction of controversial issues presented in a sensational manner.   
  • Showing characters bullying others.

Definitions:

Focus or focal refers to a segment, full video, or a sustained discussion about a given controversial issue. A passing reference to a controversial issue is not considered focus on that issue. For example, briefly acknowledging a controversial or sensitive topic such as “In next week’s video we’ll be discussing declining rates of suicide" wouldn’t be considered focal, but a segment of a video specifically talking about such a topic would be considered focal. Focus need not be verbal. If there is an image or text that focuses on the sensitive issue, that would be considered focus too.

Some examples of content that fall into this category:

• Educational content on negative behavior
• Public Service Announcements (PSAs) or videos on the negative impact of bullying or humiliating kids
• Display of healthy eating habits
• Videos about sports and fitness
• DIY, challenges, or pranks that have low risk and cause no serious physical or emotional harm to kids, such as:
  • DIYs, demos, or how-tos, such as baking or cooking with utensils used in safe and appropriate ways
  • Pranks where kids aren’t traumatized or physically harmed

Some examples of content that fall into this category:

• Content that encourages or promotes negative behavior by kids, or content about social issues that negatively affect kids.
  • Dishonest behavior, such as cheating on tests
  • Display of real or realistic guns in kids content
  • Binge eating high sugar or high fat foods
  • Bullying, harassing, or humiliating kids
  • Content on how to change bodies to look slimmer, more curvaceous or muscular, restrict or increase calories, etc.
  • DIYs or challenges that depict or could result in serious physical or emotional harm, such as: 
    • Using prohibited chemicals, explosives, matchsticks for volcano DIY content, etc. 
    • Food stuffing challenges that may cause suffocation 
    • Encouraging eating non-edible products