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In major crackdown, YouTube bans videos depicting dangerous, harmful pranks

YouTube has said that from now on the site would not allow videos that featured “pranks with a perceived danger of serious physical injury”.

In major crackdown, YouTube bans videos depicting dangerous, harmful pranks

(Image: iStock)

YouTube, the Google-owned video sharing site has banned videos that depict dangerous or emotionally distressing pranks.

The move comes in response to the so-called “challenges” that have sometimes resulted in death or injury, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The platform said that such material had “no place on YouTube”.

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“YouTube is home to many beloved viral challenges and pranks,” a message added to the site’s FAQ section read.

“That said, we’ve always had policies to make sure what’s funny doesn’t cross the line into also being harmful or dangerous.

“Our Community Guidelines prohibit content that encourages dangerous activities that are likely to result in serious harm.”

YouTube has said that from now on the site would not allow videos that featured “pranks with a perceived danger of serious physical injury”.

This includes pranks where someone is tricked into thinking they are in severe danger, even if no real threat existed.

The video-sharing website, headquartered in San Bruno, California added, “We also don’t allow pranks that cause children to experience severe emotional distress, meaning something so bad that it could leave the child traumatized for life.”

Recently, a challenge inspired by a scene in Netflix show Birdbox involved carrying out activities – such as driving – while blindfolded. At least one person is known to have crashed as a result.

YouTube, on its official Twitter handle, retweeted a tweet from Team YouTube which reads:

“Heads up! Your feedback helped us identify 3 areas of our Community Guidelines where we can clarify policies & strengthen enforcement:

  1. Custom thumbs
  2. External links
  3. Pranks & challenges

Read how enforcement will ramp up over the next few months → https://goo.gl/9FtUjc

Team YouTube has shared three tweets that carry the Reminders and FAQs:

Reminder 1: Custom thumbnail images must follow our Community Guidelines. A thumbnail that egregiously violates policies (e.g. pornography, graphic violence) will result in thumbnail removal.

In the future, this will also result in a strike.

Reminder 2: External sites you link to from YouTube must follow our Community Guidelines. Links to sites that egregiously violate policies (eg. malware, spam) will result in link removal.

In the future, this will also result in a strike.

Reminder 3: Our policies prohibit content encouraging violent or dangerous activities that are likely to result in serious harm.

We’ve updated external guidelines to clarify what this means for dangerous challenges and pranks.

(With agency inputs)

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