Philip Defranco and other top YouTubers speak out against new policy on inappropriate comments

YouTube is facing widespread criticism, after releasing a controversial statement in response to its site-wide issue concerning pedophilic content.

Concerned YouTuber and mother Jessica Ballinger reached out to the site for comment on February 21, after noticing that a number of videos featuring her five-year-old son had been demonetized.

YouTube’s response to the post garnered mass backlash, as the site claimed that offensive comments could result in the demonetization of a video - even if the video’s content is in line with its terms of service.

“With regard to the actions that we've taken, even if your video is suitable for advertisers, inappropriate comments could result in your video receiving limited or no ads,” Team YouTube wrote.

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Although Ballinger claimed that she heavily monitors her comments section, the site went on to clarify that their new policy is “an abundance of caution” in response to concerns of child predators across the platform, as brought up by YouTuber 'MattsWhatItIs' in a chilling video during mid-February.

Although YouTube claimed that it is working on improving its moderation tools to remove problematic comments, many top creators in the space were not pleased with this development, expressing concern that such a policy could be abused.

YouTuber Philip DeFranco reached out to the site for comment, who “unofficially” answered that this policy would not take place on a “broad spectrum,” but rather only in “hyper-specific situations” such as Ballinger’s.

Additionally, DeFranco stated that YouTube is prioritizing disabling comments over demonetizing videos.

Team YouTube has since clarified that this policy is strictly in relation to content that “endangers minors,” and is in no way in response to general, “hateful” comments.