Community Guidelines: Harassment and Harmful Behavior
The safety of our creators, viewers, and partners is our highest priority. We rely on everyone in our community to help keep YouTube safe. Please take time to understand these guidelines, which explain what is and isn’t allowed on the platform.
We do not allow content that harasses, threatens, or harms individuals or groups. This includes repeated insults, slurs, doxxing, or other abusive behavior. Stricter rules apply when content targets minors.
In some cases, content may be allowed if it has clear educational, documentary, scientific, artistic, or public-interest context.
If you encounter content that violates this policy, please report it. You can also report entire channels if needed. For personal safety and account security guidance, visit the Creator Safety Center and Stay Safe on YouTube resources. If you are in immediate danger, contact local law enforcement.
What You Should Not Post
1. Harassment and Hate-Based Content
Do not post content that:
- Includes prolonged insults, slurs, or demeaning language targeting a person’s identity, physical traits, or protected status
- Targets minors with the intent to shame, deceive, or emotionally harm them
- Encourages bullying or harassment of any individual, especially minors
2. Privacy Violations (Doxxing / Personal Information)
Do not share or threaten to share personal information, including:
- Home addresses
- Phone numbers or email addresses
- Passwords or login details
- Financial or medical records
- School information (especially for minors)
This applies even if the information is your own or shared unintentionally. Fake information must be clearly labeled as fictional.
3. Coordinated Abuse and Harmful Behavior
We do not allow content that:
- Encourages coordinated harassment or “brigading”
- Promotes harmful conspiracy theories targeting individuals
- Incites stalking, blackmail, or abusive group behavior
- Directs viewers to attack others on or off the platform
4. Threats and Dangerous Content
Do not post content that:
- Threatens harm to a person or their property
- Suggests or implies violence, even without specific details
- Depicts vigilante actions or unsafe attempts to “catch” individuals
- Encourages or celebrates serious injury, death, or violence
5. Sexualized or Abusive Content
Not allowed:
- Unwanted sexualization of individuals
- Sexual threats, fantasies, or degrading descriptions
- Content promoting or sharing non-consensual intimate imagery
- Stalking or sexual harassment of individuals
6. Disturbing or Violent Simulation
Do not post content that:
- Realistically simulates violence against identifiable individuals
- Mockingly depicts death or serious injury of real people
- Denies or minimizes victims of well-documented violent events
- Shows staged or edited violence targeting real individuals
Exceptions
Some content may be allowed if it is clearly:
- Educational
- Documentary
- Scientific
- Artistic
- In the public interest
Examples include scripted satire, news discussions, or awareness content about harassment. However, this does not permit abusive or harmful behavior.
Enforcement and Consequences
If your content violates this policy, it may be removed and you may receive:
- A warning
- A strike
- Loss of monetization or features
- Channel termination in severe or repeated cases
Repeated or severe violations may result in permanent removal from YouTube.
