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YouTube announced new policy updates that will take effect November 17, tightening restrictions on gaming content featuring graphic violence and gambling themes. The changes aim to better protect underage viewers and align with "industry standards" for mature content.
The revised policy targets three main categories:
- Graphic Gaming Content: Videos depicting realistic human characters involved in mass violence against non-combatants or torture may now be age-restricted for users under 18 or those not signed in. The policy focuses on content where violent scenes are prolonged, zoomed in, or central to the video.
- Online Gambling: YouTube will broaden enforcement to cover digital goods with monetary value—such as in-game skins, cosmetics, or NFTs—when linked to non-Google-certified gambling platforms.
- Social Casino Games: Even simulated gambling content without real money, like slot or card games, will now be age-restricted.
YouTube emphasized that dramatized or fictional violence, including typical video game combat, will generally remain permissible when clearly identifiable as such. The platform expects minimal disruption for most creators but encourages them to review and adjust affected content before enforcement begins. Creators will receive email notifications if their videos are removed or age-restricted, and YouTube will allow appeals. Existing videos impacted by the changes won't receive strikes, giving creators time to comply using YouTube's editing tools.
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