Grainy, unbranded clip posted to YouTube by NHS Leicester appears to show teenager giving birth in schoolyard

This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

A hard-hitting NHS viral advertising campaign about teenage pregnancy has been banned by YouTube for showing what appears to be a schoolgirl giving birth in a playground while being watched by students.

The video clip, posted by NHS Leceister, was unbranded and appeared to be real footage shot on a mobile phone and posted on YouTube, the hugely popular Google-owned social media website.

This footage, which was blocked by YouTube after just 24 hours on the video sharing website, was designed to target the hard-to-reach teenage demographic.

"We know this film is hard-hitting but so are the numbers of under-18s getting pregnant in Leicester," said Tim Rideout, chief executive of NHS Leicester City. "Nearly half the city's wards are classed as teen pregnancy 'hotspots'."

Rideout added that traditional marketing, such as leaflets and posters, did not get the teenage sex and pregnancy message across to many of the target demographic.

The clip is still viewable at a supporting campaign website, www.hey-babe.co.uk, which from next month will also host an online "docu-drama" featuring "local actors tackling common myths and frequently asked questions on relationships, sex and pregnancy".

Last September, YouTube tightened up a range of its community guidelines governing the type of videos it would look to police more vigorously.

In a blogpost relating more directly to content that incited violence, YouTube said: "If your video shows someone getting hurt, attacked or humiliated, don't post it."

Last July John Whittingdale MP, chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, criticised YouTube in a report looking at harmful content on the internet.

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