YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit content that targets people with harassment, threats or the exposure of their private information. These rules can be enforced without going to court, which often makes them the quickest route.
What the policies cover
- Threats of violence or harm
- Revealing someone’s private information, such as a home address or phone number
- Encouraging viewers to target or harass someone
- Repeated insults or demeaning content aimed at an identifiable person
- Content that mocks someone for who they are, such as their ethnicity, religion or disability
Criticism of public figures, debate and commentary are generally allowed. The line is crossed when content targets someone with abuse rather than discussing them.
How to report well
- Report the specific video, not just the channel, and choose the closest matching reason
- Use the timestamps option to point to the exact moments
- If there is a pattern across several videos or channels, report each one and note the connection
- Report abusive comments too; they fall under the same rules
Reports to YouTube are not shared with the uploader in the way copyright notices are.
If you are in danger
If a video or comment contains a credible threat, contact local police first. Then report the content to YouTube, which prioritises threats and the exposure of personal information.
When reports do not work
If the content stays up, the next options are a privacy complaint if you are identifiable, or a legal request if the content is unlawful where you live. Our defamation and harassment service can assess which applies and prepare the evidence.