YouTube relaxes monetization policy on videos with controversial content

YouTube Expands Monetization Rules for Sensitive Content, Offering Creators New Revenue Opportunities

YouTube has rolled out significant changes to its advertiser-friendly content guidelines, opening new revenue streams for creators who address sensitive topics in their videos. The update, which took effect Tuesday, allows full monetization of videos covering controversial issues when presented in a nongraphic manner.

Under the revised guidelines, content creators can now earn complete ad revenue when discussing or dramatizing topics including domestic abuse, self-harm, suicide, adult sexual abuse, abortion and sexual harassment—provided they avoid graphic descriptions or imagery. This marks a notable shift in YouTube’s approach to sensitive content monetization.

“We want to ensure the creators who are telling sensitive stories or producing dramatized content have the opportunity to earn ad revenue while respecting advertiser choice and industry sentiment,” explained Conor Kavanagh, YouTube’s head of monetization policy experience, in a video announcement on the Creator Insider channel.

The Google-owned platform acknowledged that its previous guidelines had become “too restrictive,” unnecessarily demonetizing content like dramatic portrayals of sensitive issues. Before this update, YouTube didn’t factor in the degree of graphic or descriptive detail when determining advertiser friendliness, leading to broad demonetization of content addressing challenging topics.

The policy change extends beyond fictional portrayals to include personal accounts of these sensitive issues, preventative content, and journalistic coverage—all of which are now eligible for full monetization. This provides a financial lifeline to documentary filmmakers, journalists, and creators who use the platform to share personal experiences or educational content.

However, some restrictions remain in place. Videos featuring content related to child abuse, child sex trafficking, and eating disorders will continue to face advertising limitations, highlighting YouTube’s ongoing efforts to balance monetization opportunities with advertiser concerns around the most sensitive subject areas.

The platform’s policy shift comes amid a growing trend of creators using coded language to circumvent content restrictions. Across social media platforms, terms like “unalive” have emerged as substitutes for discussing suicide or death, as creators attempt to avoid algorithmic penalties. Other tactics have included using symbols or numbers in place of letters in potentially flagged words.

This latest update follows a July 2023 policy change that relaxed YouTube’s stance on profanity. Videos containing strong profanity within the first seven seconds—previously a trigger for demonetization—became eligible for full ad revenue, signaling YouTube’s ongoing recalibration of its monetization policies.

These changes reflect YouTube’s response to sustained creator feedback about overly restrictive monetization rules. The platform finds itself in the challenging position of balancing advertiser concerns with creator livelihoods and freedom of expression. By providing more nuanced guidelines that consider context and presentation rather than just subject matter, YouTube aims to create a more sustainable ecosystem for creators tackling difficult but important topics.

For content creators, particularly those focused on drama, personal storytelling, or news coverage, these changes represent a potential financial boost after years of navigating complex and sometimes opaque monetization rules. The updated guidelines, which now include specific definitions and examples, also provide greater clarity about what content will remain monetizable.

Industry observers note that YouTube’s policy shift comes at a time when creator economies are increasingly crucial to platform success, and competition for content creator loyalty continues to intensify across social media and video sharing platforms.