YouTube has removed more than 150,000 videos from the platform with offensive content directed at children. The decision came after several advertisers suspended their ads because they were displayed alongside the inappropriate content.
YouTube says it has terminated more than 270 accounts and turned off comments on over 625,000 videos targeted by child predators. “Finally, over the past week we removed ads from nearly 2 million videos and over 50,000 channels masquerading as family-friendly content,” the Google-owned company said in a statement to VICE News. “Content that endangers children is abhorrent and unacceptable to us.”
YouTube also said it has clear policies against videos or comments that sexualize or exploit children, and that it emphatically applies them when alerted to violations. According to VICE News report, Adidas, Mars, Hewlett-Packard, and a host of other big brands have all paused advertising on YouTube in the wake of reports revealing their ads were showing up alongside sexually explicit comments under videos of children. In March this year, Wal-Mart, PepsiCo, Starbucks, General Motors, FX Networks and Dish Network suspended their advertising on YouTube after Google’s automated programs placed their brands on racist, extremist videos.
