YouTube Bans Pranks And Challenges After ‘BirdBox’ Accidents

YouTube has warned against dangerous postings in form of challenges. The social media platform has put out a statement saying recent posts meant to get traction for users are no longer funny and have crossed the line into being harmful or dangerous.

Past Challenges like the ā€˜Tide pod challengeā€™ where teens on video are seen eating laundry detergent for likes and views, ā€˜The fire challengeā€™ where youtube users posted videos setting themselves on fire for a short duration to prove ā€˜resilienceā€™ are just some of the challenges that have prompted recent updates on community guidelines on pranks and challenges.

Recently, drakeā€™s in my feelings song ignited a challenge famously known as ā€˜kekeā€™ and the ā€˜bird boxā€™ challenge has been the sensation with individuals driving while blindfolded like seen in the Netflix production where the cast mandatorily wears blindfolds going about their daily business. The challenges have been said to cause bodily harm with some even dying while at it.

Police in Layton, Utah blamed the Bird Box challenge for a car crash. Police said the driver, a 17-year-old girl, covered her eyes with a beanie while she drove a pickup truck.

“YouTube is home to many beloved viral challenges and pranks, but we need to make sure whatā€™s funny doesnā€™t cross the line into also being harmful or dangerous,” the policy reads.

YouTube said it’ll give creators a two-month grace period, as it works to remove these pranks and challenges from the platform. In that period, creators who have posted that kind of content won’t be given a strike.

YouTube says the new guidelines are not only meant to cap these dangerous challenges but all content, including comments, thumbnails, links, posts, live chat, etc.

ā€œWe know transparent communication is important, so weā€™re announcing these changes today alongside a ā€œgrace periodā€ to allow time to review the updates and make changes to your content.ā€

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