A new controversy this week over the sexualized exploitation of children on YouTube has set off a wave of advertiser boycotts and heightened tensions among the site's biggest channels. The scandal has quickly become a flashpoint for a larger debate about how creators should address the very real problems plaguing the platform they're dependent on for their livelihood.



YouTube currently has just under a billion monthly users. It's the world's second-largest search engine, just behind Google, and people watch about a billion hours of video on the platform per day. It's only been about a year since YouTube's last large-scale scandal involving child exploitation on its site. The platform promised to address the problem at the time.

But following this new scandal, instead of hiring more moderators and building better tools to flag abuse, YouTube has, once again, put the responsibility on YouTubers. Now, on top of the burnout-inducing production schedule required to remain in algorithmic favor, the company expects creators to act as their own community moderators.

YouTube tweeted Thursday that it will also start holding creators accountable for the content of their own comment sections. "Even if your video is suitable for advertisers, inappropriate comments could result in your video receiving limited or no ads (yellow icon). Let us know if you have any questions," the company wrote.



The announcement comes four days after a video titled "Youtube is Facilitating the Sexual Exploitation of Children, and it's Being Monetized (2019)" was shared to the r/Drama subreddit. It's since been shared over 2 million times. In the 20-minute video, YouTuber Matt Watson, who goes by MattsWhatItIs, details how a network of YouTube commenters are using search terms like "bikini haul" to find and share moments in videos involving children that could be sexualized. He calls the whole thing a "softcore pedophile ring." Wired UK quickly picked up the story after Watson's video went live.

The video's virality then inspired the #YouTubeWakeUp hashtag, which Watson and others used to demand advertiser boycotts. Brands like Purina, Epic Games, Disney, Nestle, and GNC have all said they're suspending advertising on YouTube until further notice.



"Any content — including comments — that endangers minors is abhorrent, and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube," a YouTube spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. "We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities, and disabling comments on tens of millions of videos that include minors. There's more to be done, and we continue to work to improve and catch abuse more quickly."



The platform also reported illegal comments to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), is working on blocking auto-completing search terms, and removed dozens of videos whose content was innocent in nature but featured young people who could be at risk for exploitation.



Many of the platform's most prominent voices, however, began to speak out against Watson for making his video exposé in the first place. Some accused him of making the video for views — and his own ad money. Popular YouTube stars like Daniel “Keemstar” Keem and Philip DeFranco have criticized Watson. Keem called him a fraud, tweeting, "This guy is trying to get advertisers to stop advertising on YouTube but puts 30 ads on his videos."

YouTube fans joined in and spent the week attacking Watson for taking possible ad revenue away from their favorite video makers. Following an outpouring of online abuse directed at him, Watson has gone silent on social media since releasing his video. BuzzFeed News has reached out to Watson via his Twitter and Instagram for comment.

The entire mess is a perfect summation of how fraught the relationship is between YouTube and YouTube's creators.

