YouTube loosens profanity rules, allows full ads on videos

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YouTube has updated its rules around profanity, making it easier for creators to earn money from videos that contain strong language early on. 

According to Conor Kavanagh, YouTube’s head of monetization policy experience, videos that include strong profanity, like the word fuck, in the first seven seconds can now receive full ad revenue. 

Previously, such videos were limited to only some ad revenue, which frustrated many content creators.

YouTube’s rules around swearing have caused ongoing tension. In late 2022, YouTube introduced a policy that reduced ad income for videos that included profanity within the first 8–15 seconds. 

This upset many creators who felt the rules were overly strict or unclear. 

One well-known YouTuber, ProZD (real name SungWon Cho), mocked the policy by waiting 15 seconds in a video before saying, “the dumbest fucking shit I’ve ever heard.” 

Ironically, that video was later demonetized. YouTube eventually loosened the policy a bit in March 2023, allowing some early profanity to still earn ad money.

Now, YouTube says the latest change reflects how advertisers’ expectations have shifted. 

When the stricter rules were first introduced, the goal was to keep swearing far away from the ads themselves, similar to how TV networks operate. 

But Kavanagh says advertisers now have tools to choose what kind of content their ads appear next to, including how much profanity they’re okay with.

That said, YouTube still has boundaries. If a video has strong language in its title or thumbnail, it can still be demonetized. 

Also, if a video uses strong profanity too often, it can still violate YouTube’s rules. As Kavanagh jokingly put it, creators should “pick and choose your fucks carefully.”

This change gives creators more freedom to speak naturally at the beginning of their videos without worrying as much about losing ad revenue, though it still encourages them to use strong language thoughtfully.

Do you think YouTube’s relaxed profanity rules will improve content quality by letting creators speak more naturally? Or will this lead to more unnecessary swearing just for shock value? Tell us below in the comments, or reach us via our Twitter or Facebook.