YouTube changes ‘strike’ policy for first-time offenders

YouTube is changing its “strike” policy in an effort to make it easier to understand.

With the changes, first-time offenders who violate YouTube’s policies will receive a warning instead of a “strike,” which carries more serious consequences. The new policy will take effect next week, beginning Feb. 25. 

YouTube’s strike system is the main way the service polices content on its platform. Creators get strikes when they violate the company’s policies, such as those prohibiting harassment and hate speech, for example.

“We want to give you even more opportunities to learn about our policies, so starting February 25, all channels will receive a one-time warning the first time they post content that crosses the line, with no penalties to their channel except for the removal of that content,” the company wrote in a blog post. 

Creators will only get one warning, the company cautioned — subsequent policy violations will result in strikes. 

YouTube is also making punishments for strikes more consistent. One strike will get you a one-week “freeze” on the ability to livestream, upload new videos, and “other channel activity.” A second strike in 90 days extends the freeze to two weeks, while a third strike within 90 days will get your channel deleted for good.

“Previously, not all strikes had the same penalty on your channel. We heard from many of you that this was confusing and the penalty didn’t match the source of the strike,” the company wrote. “Now, based on your feedback, all Community Guidelines strikes will have the same penalty.”

The company also said it’s improving the notifications it sends when it issues warnings and strikes to make it clear why it’s deciding to act on a particular piece of content. This has long been a source of frustration for some YouTubers, who don’t always understand the reasoning behind YouTube’s decisions. 

Despite past controversy about its policies, YouTube says its rules are effective. Only 2 percent of the site’s users ever break its rules, the company said, and 94 percent of people who are hit with a first strike don’t get a second one.