YouTube updates ‘strikes system’ to warn creators first when their content breaks the rules

YouTube is updating the penalty system for creators who break content policies. Starting February 25, creators who violate content rules will first receive a warning — before receiving a strike — and the offending content will be removed, with no other penalty on the channel.

Why you should care

YouTube reports that 94 percent of creators who receive a first-strike for breaking content policies never get a second strike. With the new warning system, video marketers who unintentionally violate a content policy will no longer have that “first strike” on their record — instead, they will simply receive a one-time warning the first time they post content that goes against YouTube’s Community Guidelines. The content that breaks the rules will be removed and the channel will not receive any other penalties.

For creators who violate policies after they receive a warning, YouTube’s three-strike penalty system goes into effect:

• The first strike will include a one-week freeze on the ability to upload new YouTube content.
• The second strike during any 90-day period involves a two-week freeze on uploading content.
• After the third strike during a 90-day period, the creator’s channel will be terminated.

For warnings, there is no 90-day reset. One warning is all creators get, and, as YouTube reports, the large majority of creators do not violate community guidelines a second time.

Along with the new warning system, YouTube is making the penalty for violating content policies consistent across all violations. This means that the same penalty will be given for all violations pertaining to video content, Stories, custom thumbnails, or links to other websites included in a video’s description or info card. (Before this update, different strikes came with different penalties — YouTube said it has made the penalty system consistent based on feedback from the YouTube creator community.)

More on the news

• YouTube is also updating the email and desktop notifications with more details on which policy was violated and adding mobile and in-product content violation notifications.
• The site reports 98 percent of its creator community never violates the platform’s Community Guidelines.
• YouTube said the new rules are a result of working with creators who have asked for, “… consistent enforcement, clear policies, and transparency about the impact of a strike.”