To protect the platform, YouTube encourages community members to flag inappropriate content.
You can report a channel, video, ad, comment, thumbnail, or playlist if it goes against YouTube community guidelines. YouTube will review your complaint and take the necessary action.
How do you report a YouTube video?
You can report a YouTube video from the mobile app or the website. To report a YouTube video on the mobile app, play the video and tap on it while it plays. Tap the settings icon and select “Report” on the menu. Choose the reason and tap “Report.” To do it on the browser, click the three dots icon below the video, select reasoning, and click “Next.” Add additional information and hit “Report.”
Read on to learn how to report a YouTube video.
Overview of Reporting a YouTube Video
Social media is a valuable resource that educates, entertains, and informs us. However, it has its fair share of disadvantages. One such drawback is inappropriate content.
As one of the widely-used social media platforms, YouTube takes community guidelines and rules seriously.
A recent survey ranked it as the least toxic platform, with a 5.8 out of 10 toxicity scale. One of the ways it achieves such a status is by encouraging users to report inappropriate content.
You can report a video, channel, thumbnail, or advertisement if you think it’s inappropriate. Some aspects that make YouTube content inappropriate include the following:
- Sexual content
- Abusive or hateful
- Violent
- Harassment
- Dangerous acts
- Misinformation
- Misleading or spam
- Child abuse
- Promoting terrorism
- Legal issues like copyright, defamation, trademark, and counterfeiting.
YouTube reviews reported content 24 hours after submitting the complaint. If the content violates its community guidelines, it is pulled down from the platform.
Content found to be in no violation will remain on the site. The content may also be age-restricted if found to be inappropriate for a younger audience.
How To Report a YouTube Video
Whether you use YouTube on mobile or computer, you can report an inappropriate video when you encounter one.
How To Report a YouTube Video on Mobile
Follow this step-by-step guide to report a YouTube video on your mobile device.
- Launch the YouTube app.
- Sign in to your YouTube account.
- Find the video you want to report and play it.
- As the video plays, tap on any part of the video to show the playback menu.
- Tap on the settings icon.
- Select “Report.”
- Choose the reason why you find the video inappropriate.
- Hit the “Report” button.
You have successfully reported the YouTube video.
How To Report a YouTube Video on a Desktop
Follow the steps below.
- Launch your browser and navigate to the YouTube website.
- Sign in to your YouTube account.
- Locate the video you want to report and play it.
- Click on the three dots below the video.
- Select “Report.”
- Choose the reason why you find the video inappropriate.
- Click “Next.”
- Provide a time stamp and other additional details.
- Click “Report.”
Your report has been sent to YouTube. The YouTube team will review it and take action in the next 24 hours.
Wrapping Up
YouTube encourages users to report inappropriate content that violates its community guidelines.
The platform will review the reported content and take necessary action, including pulling it down or making it age-restricted.
This guide provided the steps to report a YouTube video.
FAQ
No, reporting a YouTube video is anonymous. The video owner can’t tell who reported their video.
After reporting a YouTube video, the YouTube team will review the video according to the information you provide in the complaint. This review takes at least 24 hours. The video will be pulled down if found to be violating YouTube’s community guidelines. If the content doesn’t violate any guidelines, it will remain on the site. YouTube will also age-restrict a video if it’s inappropriate for a younger audience.
You can’t remove a YouTube video posted by someone else. However, you can report the video. YouTube will remove the video from the site if it goes against its community guidelines.
Yes, YouTube pulls down reported videos found to violate the community guidelines. However, the platform doesn’t remove all reported videos. If the reviewers find no inappropriate content in the video, the video stays on the platform.
