AI Summary
This video warns YouTube creators about the platform's August 2026 advertising guideline updates, which focus on violent content and monetization. It explains how the new policies can lead to demonetization, defines key revenue metrics like RPM and CPM, and advises creators to avoid violent imagery until YouTube clarifies its rules.
Chapters
YouTube monetization policies that can limit or demonetize videos are only hours away and may affect channels even if the content doesn't seem to violate the rules.
The update will negatively affect certain content creators, while others will be untouched by the new rules.
Three educational channels asked for help with policy reviews but their content was rejected, showing that YouTube is already enforcing stricter standards.
The advertising guidelines page is updated every three months, with dates mentioned including Jan 26, Feb 26, Mar 2026 and Aug 2026.
Channels using content unsuitable for families, harmful to minors, or threatening in any way have already been removed from the YouTube Partner Program.
YouTube is updating guidelines to clarify monetization of depicting death in educational, documentary, or news content, but hasn't said whether it will be strict or lenient.
Creators should avoid blood, knives, murder scenes, corpses, and harmful thumbnails — including AI-generated content — until YouTube makes its position explicit.
RPM stands for Revenue Per Mille and represents the revenue a creator earns per 1,000 video views.
CPM stands for Cost Per Mille and is what an advertiser pays per 1,000 ad impressions. If advertisers see blood or similar issues, they reduce spending, lowering CPM and RPM.
Don't put murder scenes, corpses, or dead imagery at the start of a video. If you must cover such topics, keep them in a proper educational, documentary, or news context.
Everyday content like cooking and gaming is not affected. The update targets legal cases, crimes, and news content, so creators in those areas should be extra careful.
Mentioned in this Video
Study Flashcards (7)
What does RPM stand for in YouTube analytics?
easy
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What does RPM stand for in YouTube analytics?
Revenue Per Mille — the revenue a creator earns per 1,000 views.
04:20
What does CPM stand for?
easy
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What does CPM stand for?
Cost Per Mille — the cost an advertiser pays per 1,000 ad impressions.
04:32
How often are YouTube's advertising guidelines updated?
medium
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How often are YouTube's advertising guidelines updated?
Every three months; updates were noted in Jan 26, Feb 26, Mar 2026 and Aug 2026.
02:12
What content is the August 2026 update focusing on?
medium
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What content is the August 2026 update focusing on?
Violent content, including depicting death in educational, documentary, or news content, and harmful imagery in thumbnails/videos.
03:10
What should creators avoid until YouTube clarifies its strict or lenient approach?
medium
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What should creators avoid until YouTube clarifies its strict or lenient approach?
They should avoid blood, knives, murder scenes, corpses, and dead imagery in videos and thumbnails, including AI-generated content.
03:36
How do violent visuals affect advertising revenue?
medium
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How do violent visuals affect advertising revenue?
Advertisers reduce spending when they see blood or other issues, lowering CPM, which also lowers RPM and creator profits.
04:48
What is the relationship between CPM and RPM?
hard
Click to reveal answer
What is the relationship between CPM and RPM?
CPM is the advertiser cost per 1,000 ad impressions; RPM is the creator's revenue per 1,000 video views. If CPM drops, RPM and profits drop.
05:03
💡 Key Takeaways
YouTube updating violent content monetization rules
It shows the platform is explicitly reviewing how death is monetized in educational, documentary, and news content.
03:10RPM vs CPM distinction
Clarifies the two key revenue metrics every creator needs to understand.
04:20Keep content clean at the start
Gives a practical red line: avoid murder/corpse scenes in intros to protect monetization.
05:16Policy scope: crime/legal/news, not cooking/gaming
Helps creators understand which niches are actually at risk from the update.
06:38Full Transcript
[00:04] 2026. These policies, which may be detrimental to your channel and may have no bearing on your content at all, are only a few hours away. That's why
[00:20] which may be detrimental to your channel and may have no bearing on your content at all, are only a few hours away. That's why I want you to pay close attention to everything I'm about to say. We all have YouTube channels and
[00:34] monetization enabled. When we upload a video, our main goal is to earn main goal is to earn money from it. Imagine money from it. Imagine uploading your video in August, tomorrow or the day after, only to be
[00:48] uploading your video in August, tomorrow or the day after, only to be surprised by a surprised by a notification with either a yellow or notification with either a yellow or red indicator, meaning monetization is limited
[01:01] red indicator, meaning monetization is limited or ineligible. This is all due to YouTube's new policy, which will affect many content creators. You should
[01:14] affect many content creators. You should know that some content will be negatively impacted by know that some content will be negatively impacted by this update, while others will simply ignore it. Before you leave, please like, comment, and subscribe, as
[01:31] these help your video reach a wider audience. It's possible that people, because there are many people who come after their channel is down and say, "I didn't see the video you made, I swear I made it, I made it," and they see the video you made, I swear I made it, I made it," and they say, "Sorry, I'm
[01:46] sorry." I mean, the educational channels' video, the one on the forum, three channels came to me wanting me to reconsider it, and I told them it would be rejected, and they wanted to do it, and I did it for them, and it was rejected.
[01:58] wanted to do it, and I did it for them, and it was rejected. What I want to tell you is that every word we say is for What I want to tell you is that every word we say is for your benefit. Come with me now, your benefit. Come with me now, these are the upcoming and latest updates to the advertising guidelines. This page is
[02:12] these are the upcoming and latest updates to the advertising guidelines. This page is updated every three months. We started on January 26, February 26, March 2026, and August 2026. First,
[02:25] 26, February 26, March 2026, and August 2026. First, this content appeared on many channels, resulting in their exclusion from the YouTube Partner Program, both original and non-original. This content also appeared on many channels that were original and non-original. This content also appeared on many channels that were officially shut down. This content was used
[02:40] officially shut down. This content was used by many channels that included material unsuitable for families, content that was harmful to families, or content that threatened content that was harmful to families, or content that threatened minors. Now, we'll see what the dark history of this content
[02:56] minors. Now, we'll see what the dark history of this content will be like for us. Why? Because YouTube hasn't specified here. It hasn't will be like for us. Why? Because YouTube hasn't specified here. It hasn't defined whether it will be strict or defined whether it will be strict or lenient. We will update our
[03:10] lenient. We will update our guidelines regarding violent content to clarify the guidelines regarding violent content to clarify the monetization of depicting death in monetization of depicting death in educational, documentary, or news content. So, it's
[03:22] educational, documentary, or news content. So, it's not clear whether it's strict or lenient. As a content creator, when I film a scene like this, I'll be afraid. What will we take? The main point of
[03:36] afraid. What will we take? The main point of this update is that we should stay away until there's a this update is that we should stay away until there's a clear and explicit statement clarifying whether there's a strict or lenient approach to this issue. We need to be sure that there's no blood, no knives, no scenes that could harm
[03:54] the channel, no thumbnails showing someone killing someone, and no murder scenes appearing while you're creating the thumbnail, making a video, or generating a video on Gymnast and Gruk. Be lenient and easygoing during
[04:06] video on Gymnast and Gruk. Be lenient and easygoing during this period so that YouTube will be merciful to you and to us, because YouTube no longer displays ads on all channels, especially those that violate its all channels, especially those that violate its policies. So, you need to understand
[04:20] that if we look at any YouTube video and its revenue statistics, we have two things: RPM (Revenue Per Mille) and the cost
[04:32] paid by advertisers. The cost paid is called CPM (Cost Per Mille). An advertiser might pay, for example, 20 called CPM (Cost Per Mille). An advertiser might pay, for example, 20 pounds for this video. If the advertiser finds pounds for this video. If the advertiser finds blood and other issues, they'll start reducing their spending.
[04:48] blood and other issues, they'll start reducing their spending. His money says, "No, I won't pay, I won't pay here." So if your CPM decreases, your RPM decreases, which is the cost per 1000 views. CPM is the cost per 1000 ad impressions. If this decreases, your
[05:03] cost per 1000 ad impressions. If this decreases, your profits will decrease. That's why what I want you to profits will decrease. That's why what I want you to focus on and understand is that the beginning of the video is a red line. Don't focus on and understand is that the beginning of the video is a red line. Don't put on a murder scene, don't put on a corpse scene, don't put on
[05:16] anything dead. If you want to do something, it should be within the educational, news, or normal context that follows the pattern we're discussing, the documentation, and that kind of thing, so that we're being fair to YouTube. Because lately, YouTube has become unforgiving. It's waiting for you to make a mistake so it can punish you, waiting for you to make a mistake so it can stop your
[05:33] earnings, waiting for you to make a mistake so it can tell you that you have a problem. And by the way, I'm not here to give you negative energy, no, I swear. I'm explaining the policies that
[05:45] many people, after reading them, stop and come to me saying, "You're so weird!" or "We want to come to me saying, "You're so weird!" or "We want to do this and that!" I tell them, "Okay, you've violated the policy." Any video review or discussion with YouTube will tell me, "Here's the policy, and
[06:01] YouTube will tell me, "Here's the policy, and you've violated it," and give me a link to read. I'll read the link that contains the policy, the content that says that. So, we need to know if the that. So, we need to know if the content we upload is suitable for advertisers or
[06:13] not. Our content has to be 100% suitable for advertisers so we can earn 100% suitable for advertisers so we can earn money, make a living, work, get paid, buy
[06:25] phones, computers, cameras, and lighting equipment, and work and develop ourselves. What I'm trying to say is that these updates happen constantly; it's perfectly normal. They happen today and
[06:38] tomorrow, and it doesn't mean the end of the world. On the contrary, this content, if it's about cooking, for example, it's pointless; if it's about gaming, it's pointless. This is related to legal cases, to
[06:50] crimes. If I'm talking about crimes, legal cases, news, I shouldn't include these things at all, or I should be news, I shouldn't include these things at all, or I should be afraid that... I'm putting it down because you know YouTube is unforgiving now, so if I'm going to do
[07:04] anything like this, honestly, I'll take my time to try it out or upload it because YouTube said, " We are updating our guidelines regarding violent content to clarify the monetization situation." So, is it a ban or not? Is it strict
[07:17] to clarify the monetization situation." So, is it a ban or not? Is it strict clear. What I'm saying is that we need to be careful. What I'm
[07:30] saying is that I need to avoid any problems that might happen to my channel and your channel, because your channel is my channel. Don't forget to like and comment because likes and comments greatly increase the video's reach
[07:42] and comments greatly increase the video's reach so it reaches the largest possible number of people. Because someone might not realize they didn't watch the video. The idea is not to talk about the latest video. The idea is not to talk about the latest update. Honestly, any update that appears in front of me, even if it's
[07:54] update. Honestly, any update that appears in front of me, even if it's Because I'm worried about you, you're the most important thing to me, your channel is the most important thing to me. Thank you, Your Excellency, channel is the most important thing to me. Thank you, Your Excellency, don't be stingy with the like.
