What Are YouTube's Rules and Regulations Regarding Sexually Explicit Content?

YouTube has established a set of guidelines for any questionable content on the platform. When it comes to terrorist content, the rules are strict and YouTube does not allow terrorist organizations to use the site for any purpose, including recruitment. With hate speech, YouTube strives to balance an individual's right to free speech with preventing the spread of hatred and violence. The company acknowledges that there is a “fine line” between what is and is not considered hate speech.

Regarding sexual content, context and severity are important factors. While explicit content such as pornography is prohibited, other aspects may be allowed. Videos containing fetish content will be removed or age-restricted depending on the severity of the act in question. Nudity and sexual content may be permitted as long as the primary objective is non-sexual and not “gratuitously graphic”. This allows for artistic, scientific, and educational uses of nudity on the platform. Context to a video can also play an important role in determining if it is allowed or not. In some cases that sit in the grey area, YouTube can apply an age-restriction.

When deciding if a video should be age-restricted, several factors are taken into account. These include whether breasts, buttocks, or genitals are the focal point of the video; if the video setting is sexually suggestive; if the pose of the subject is intended to sexually arouse the viewer; and if the language used in the video is vulgar and/or lewd. Other factors that are considered include the length of time an image appears in the video and the relative clarity of the images in the video.