It’s “about fucking time” for these changes to go into effect, according to YouTuber ProZD, who spoke about the update with The Verge. ProZD explained that in 2022, the site began to limit ad revenue if profanity was used in the first eight to 15 seconds of a video. He protested the changes in a video at the time titled “youtube is run by fools,” in which he waited exactly 15 seconds before proclaiming that the change in policy was “the dumbest fucking shit I’ve ever heard.” (The video was demonetized anyway, as he shared in “youtube is run by fools part 2.“) YouTube later relaxed this policy slightly, allowing videos with “fuck” in the first eight to 15 seconds to receive ad revenue, but still barring monetization for any creator that deigned to say it within the first seven.
In his informational video, Kavanagh explained that the previous policy was meant to “align with broadcast standards.” “Advertisers expected ads on YouTube to have distance between profanity and the ad that just served,” he said. “Those expectations have changed, and advertisers already have the ability to target content to their desired level of profanity.”
YouTube isn’t going to be a complete bacchanal going forward. Monetization will still be restricted from videos using moderate (“bitch” or “asshole,” per Kavanagh’s examples) or strong profanity in their titles or thumbnails. Additionally, “you have to pick and choose your fucks carefully,” he said. “High frequency usage remains a violation of the advertiser friendly content guidelines.” Still, this should come as a relief for any creators who were really holding back the first few seconds after hitting record. Go get your fucking bag, YouTubers!
