YouTube has erased tens of thousands of children's videos that were accompanied by very inappropriate comments, even pedophile, said Thursday the platform that tries to reassure its advertisers.
Everything started with an article published last Friday in the British newspaper The Times claiming that ads for major brands (Adidas, Amazon or Mars in particular) appeared on YouTube alongside videos of children or teenagers, most often innocently published by those concerned but arousing pedophile comments from users.
According to other media, several advertisers have decided to stop placing ads on YouTube for this reason. The American computer group HP has confirmed to AFP "have immediately asked Google to suspend all advertising on YouTube."
When asked, YouTube said it had "removed several hundred accounts and more than 150,000 videos" that were problematic. The platform owned by Google, whose digital advertising represents the bulk of revenue, also banned advertising on "over 2 million videos and 50,000 channels that were family content but were not." The company also blocked "comments for 625,000 videos".
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"We have clear policies against videos and comments on YouTube that sexualize or exploit children, and we apply them drastically every time we are alerted to such content," said a spokesperson for YouTube.
Not the first time
The site claims to have "recently strengthened (its) approach to videos and comments featuring children who, although they would not be illegal, remain concerned".
Asked whether the platform was being boycotted by some advertisers, the spokesman simply replied that "no advertising should be broadcast on this content and we are working to remedy this situation as soon as possible".
This is the second time this year that YouTube is facing this type of controversy. An article in the Times already said in the spring that ads were placed close to anti-Semitic content, inciting hatred or apologizing for terrorism.
Google then promised that it would ensure that the ads of its advertisers are not placed near polemical content.
The British subsidiary of Havas, the HSBC or the BBC and even the British government, among others, later joined in the United States by AT & T or Verizon, had decided to suspend their advertising on several Google platforms, including YouTube.
