Today (Friday, 24.11.2017), The Times has published yet another article relating to videos on YouTube promoting inappropriate, extremist or offensive behaviour.
Following the takedown of the Toy Freaks and Family Freaks channels earlier this week, the article published this morning makes reference to a number of YouTube videos of young children which have attracted comments from 'hundreds of paedophiles'.
The videos, many of which were uploaded by the children themselves, featured advertising from a number of advertisers, including ISBA members. Many ISBA advertisers have now withdrawn from the channel. By their own admission, YouTube's control and monitoring procedures are inadequate.
We met with Google on Wednesday so they could respond to the concerns we and our members have. They have agreed to meet with a group of our members as early as next week to address the concerns. ISBA is pushing for much more proactive and positive vetting of content before it is deemed suitable for brand advertising and for tighter monitoring and tougher action on inappropriate user comments.
Details of the meeting with Google are being confirmed.
In the meantime, Google has assured us they are working on a number of initiatives to improve content control. Just yesterday, YouTube launched a series of new measures to help protect families and children on the platform. These include:
- Tougher application of our Community Guidelines and faster enforcement through technology
- Removing ads from inappropriate videos targeting families
- Blocking inappropriate comments on videos featuring minors
- Providing guidance for creators who make family-friendly content
- Engaging and learning from experts
An in-depth overview of the new policies can be found here.
In addition, we have reissued our Online Brand Safety Guidance.