SAN BRUNO, CA – YouTube has announced two significant updates to its platform policies, introducing more lenient monetization rules regarding profanity while simultaneously deploying advanced artificial intelligence to better identify and protect teenage users. The changes, rolling out now, address long-standing feedback from creators and heighten the platform’s focus on age-appropriate experiences.
In a major shift for content creators, YouTube has relaxed its Advertiser-Friendly Content Guidelines. Under the new rules, creators can now use moderate and even strong profanity, including the ‘f-word’, within the first seven seconds of a video without facing immediate demonetization. Previously, such language would automatically result in limited ad revenue, marked by a “yellow dollar” icon.
According to Conor Kavanagh, YouTube’s Head of Monetization Policy, this change reflects evolving advertiser expectations. Advertisers now have more sophisticated controls to align their campaigns with content that meets their brand’s desired level of profanity, allowing YouTube to grant creators more expressive freedom at the beginning of their videos. However, the platform clarified that excessive or frequent profanity throughout a video, or its use in titles and thumbnails, can still lead to monetization restrictions.
On a separate front focused on user safety, YouTube has begun implementing a new machine learning system in the United States designed to estimate a user’s age. This AI model will analyse various signals—such as the types of videos watched, search history, and the age of the account—to infer whether a user is under the age of 18, regardless of the birthdate provided during account creation.
When the system identifies a user as a teen, it will automatically enable a suite of protections. These include disabling personalized advertising, activating digital well-being features like “take a break” reminders by default, and limiting recommendations for content that could be problematic if viewed repetitively.
YouTube stated that this AI-powered approach has already been tested successfully in other markets. If the system incorrectly classifies an adult as a teen, the user will have the option to verify their age using a valid government ID or credit card to restore their standard viewing experience. This move aims to provide a safer, more age-appropriate environment for its significant teenage audience by applying protections more broadly and accurately.
