YouTube is a very popular destination for gun enthusiasts and vloggers, and a home of countless gun-related videos. But this is changing – slowly but steadily. In its latest move against gun-related content, YouTube is tightening restrictions on videos promoting firearms and accessories.
YouTube has traditionally been a popular place for guns-rights activists and supporters. If you want to find out anything about guns, you could probably find a video about it on the platform. But as the gun-control debate heats up across the US recently, YouTube has silently changed its policy on gun videos last week, banning videos that promote the sale of firearms ones that contain links promoting accessories like bump stocks. The new rules will cover videos that instruct user on how to build guns.
In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson said that the platform “routinely makes updates and adjustments to [its] enforcement guidelines across all of [its] policies,” explaining that the recent changes aren’t something new, adding that YouTube has “long prohibited the sale of firearms.” Yet, the recent update and its enforcement has caught many creators unaware, despite other recent restrictions put into place, in response to issues with inappropriate and offensive videos. The National Shooting Sports Foundation called the update “worrisome,” while at least one creator moved his channel to Pornhub – of all places.
The update will be put in place in April, but many have already been affected – with YouTube admitting an overzealous application of its policies in some cases removing entire gun-related channels.
You might also like
More from Youtube
YouTube Brings Its Shorts Beta To The US
After testing its YouTube Shorts feature in India, YouTube has announced that it's bringing a Shorts beta to some users …
YouTube Announces Supervised Accounts For Tweens And Teens
YouTube has announced a new supervised account option for parents with children who are too old for YouTube Kids.
YouTube Sports Is The New Destination For Sports Fans
YouTube Sports is a new effort to cater to sports fans with a "refreshed" destination on its platform: YouTube.com/Sports.
YouTube Adds HDR Support To Xbox Consoles
YouTube has finally added HDR video support to Microsoft's Xbox gaming consoles. We're still waiting for support on PS5.
YouTube Introduces Dedicated Pages For Hashtags
Youtube is rolling out dedicated landing pages for hashtags to all users worldwide, giving us a new way to sort …
YouTube Tests A New Way To View Shorts On Its Platform
YouTube started testing a new way to watch Shorts, its TikTok-like short-form video experience.
9-Year Old Ryan Kaji Is The Highest-Paid YouTube Creator
Forbes has named 9-year-old Ryan Kaji as the highest-paid YouTube creator for the third consecutive year. He earned $29.5 million …
Tired Of Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’ Video? Here’s A Version That Never Ends
To celebrate the 1 billion views of Billie Eilish's 'Bad Guy', YouTube Music created an interactive 'infinite' version - 'Infinite …