YouTube is supposed to be a safe space for creators and viewers alike to be entertained and educated by amazing content.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of channels out there that upload videos that violate YouTube’s community guidelines. They may be stealing from another creator, promoting hate speech, glorifying graphic violence, or depicting any number of other unsafe and inappropriate activities.
If you stumble across a video like this while browsing YouTube, don’t just scroll away. Take action and file a report!
By filing a report, you ensure that YouTube will review the video. If the review team finds that the video violates their Community Guidelines and policies, they will make sure it gets taken down.
Not sure how to report a YouTube video? Learn all the steps below!
How To Report a YouTube Video (Desktop and App)
When you find a video on YouTube that you want to report, here’s how to do it.
For Desktop
Step #1: Open your preferred web browser and go to youtube.com.
Step #2: Find and click on the video that you want to report.
Step #3: Click the three horizontal dots next to the Share button underneath the video player.
Step #4: Click Report.
Step #5: Select from these options to let YouTube know the reason you’re reporting the video.
Step #6: Click Next.
Step #7: On the next screen, fill the text box with any other details that you think YouTube should know when they review the video.
Step #8: Click Report.
For Mobile Apps (iOS and Android)
Step #1: Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
Step #2: Find and tap on the video you want to report.
Step #3: Tap the Settings symbol in the top right corner of the video player.
Step #4: Tap Report.
Step #5: Tap the reason that best describes why you’re filing the report.
Step #6: Tap Report.
What Happens After You Report a YouTube Video?
Now that you’ve reported the inappropriate YouTube video, YouTube’s review team will get on the case!
During the team’s review process, they will check if the video does, indeed, violate their Community Guidelines and company policies. To do that, they analyze everything from the metadata to the video’s intent.
In most cases, if the reported video falls into the category of educational, scientific, artistic, or documentary content, they will leave it up. Furthermore, if they determine that it’s not appropriate for younger audiences, but it doesn’t otherwise violate their guidelines, they may place a restriction on it to ensure that only adults are able to view it.
If the video is found to completely violate YouTube’s guidelines, the review team will take it down and notify the channel creator of the removal. They will also tell them the reason for it.
You can check on the status of the content you’ve reported on YouTube by going to the desktop version of the platform, scrolling down the lefthand menu, and clicking Report History.
Will the Creator Know That I Reported Their YouTube Video?
In case you’re hesitating to report a YouTube video because you’re worried about backlash from the video’s creator, never fear. Your report is completely anonymous. Not only that, but the creator won’t even know that someone – much less you – reported them unless or until YouTube reaches out to them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will the YouTube Video I Reported Get Taken Down?
Just because you report a YouTube video doesn’t mean it will automatically get taken down. The YouTube review team must first determine if the video violates their Community Guidelines. If it does, then the content will be taken down.
How Long Does YouTube Take to Review a Report?
It varies. You may receive an update in a few hours, days, or weeks. The speed of the review process depends on how many reports YouTube has received recently. The more content they have in their queue, the longer the wait.
