When you use YouTube, you join a community of people from all over the world. Every cool, new community feature on YouTube involves a certain level of trust. Millions of users respect that trust and we trust you to be responsible too. Following the guidelines below helps to keep YouTube fun and enjoyable for everyone.
You might not like everything you see on YouTube. If you think content is inappropriate, use the flagging feature to submit it for review by our YouTube staff. Our staff carefully reviews flagged content 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to determine whether there’s a violation of our Community Guidelines.
Here are some common-sense rules that'll help you steer clear of trouble. Please take these rules seriously and take them to heart. Don't try to look for loopholes or try to lawyer your way around the guidelines—just understand them and try to respect the spirit in which they were created.
YouTube is not for pornography or sexually explicit content. If this describes your video, even if it's a video of yourself, don't post it on YouTube. Also, be advised that we work closely with law enforcement and we report child exploitation. Learn more
Don't post videos that encourage others to do things that might cause them to get badly hurt, especially kids. Videos showing such harmful or dangerous acts may get age-restricted or removed depending on their severity. Learn more
Our products are platforms for free expression. But we don't support content that promotes or condones violence against individuals or groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, nationality, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity, or whose primary purpose is inciting hatred on the basis of these core characteristics. This can be a delicate balancing act, but if the primary purpose is to attack a protected group, the content crosses the line. Learn more
It's not okay to post violent or gory content that's primarily intended to be shocking, sensational, or disrespectful. If posting graphic content in a news or documentary context, please be mindful to provide enough information to help people understand what's going on in the video. Don't encourage others to commit specific acts of violence. Learn more
It’s not ok to post abusive videos and comments on YouTube. If harassment crosses the line into a malicious attack it can be reported and may be removed. In other cases, users may be mildly annoying or petty and should be ignored. Learn more
Everyone hates spam. Don't create misleading descriptions, tags, titles, or thumbnails in order to increase views. It's not okay to post large amounts of untargeted, unwanted or repetitive content, including comments and private messages. Learn more
Things like predatory behavior, stalking, threats, harassment, intimidation, invading privacy, revealing other people's personal information, and inciting others to commit violent acts or to violate the Terms of Use are taken very seriously. Anyone caught doing these things may be permanently banned from YouTube. Learn more
Respect copyright. Only upload videos that you made or that you're authorized to use. This means don't upload videos you didn't make, or use content in your videos that someone else owns the copyright to, such as music tracks, snippets of copyrighted programs, or videos made by other users, without necessary authorizations. Visit our Copyright Center for more information. Learn more
If someone has posted your personal information or uploaded a video of you without your consent, you can request removal of content based on our Privacy Guidelines. Learn more
Accounts that are established to impersonate another channel or individual may be removed under our impersonation policy. Learn more
Learn what to do if you encounter inappropriate content. Also, be advised that we work closely with law enforcement and we report child exploitation Learn more
Additional policies on a range of subjects. Learn more
Your safety is important to us. Learn more about YouTube tools and resources, and get tips on many topics below.
Here are some useful tools and friendly tips for staying safe on YouTube. Learn more
Screen out potentially objectionable content that you or your family may not want see. Learn more
You’re not alone. Need support? For free, confidential 24/7 support in the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. Learn more
Here are some resources to help empower you and your students to stay safe online. Learn more
Tools and resources to help you manage your family’s experience on YouTube. Learn more
More helpful information and resources for YouTube users. Learn more
Quick access to privacy and safety settings. Learn more
Information on our legal removals policies and the process for submitting complaints. Learn more
Learn about reporting content on YouTube and how we enforce our Community Guidelines.
When, why and how to flag content. Learn more
Directly file a report here. Learn more
Directly file a report here. Learn more
Let us know if videos or comments on the site violate your privacy or sense of safety. Learn more
When flagging a video does not accurately capture your issue. Learn more
Sometimes a video doesn't violate our guidelines, but might not be appropriate for everyone so may be age-restricted. Learn more
What they are and how we handle them. Learn more
Serious or repeated violations Community Guidelines violations can lead to account termination. Learn more
What to do if you get a strike. Learn more