YouTube is set to further censor certain content on the platform, as it is updating its policies to age-restrict more content showing graphic violence in video games.
As stated by the platform’s latest announcement post, YouTube will be “strengthening enforcement of [its] Community Guidelines around online gambling and graphic violence in gaming” starting 17 November 2025, meaning that accounts under 18 or users who are not signed in will not be able to view gaming videos featuring “realistic human characters” partaking in scenes of “torture” or “mass violence against non-combatants”.
YouTube will take into account several factors when determining if a piece of content should be age-restricted, including whether the graphic scene is sustained, or if it’s zoomed in or is the main focus of the scene. The post also states that the likeness of a video game character to a “real human” will also be evaluated, although it does not provide more specific guidelines for all three factors listed.
This update will build upon YouTube’s current policies, which state, “Generally, we do not remove dramatised violence when the content or metadata lets us know that the content is fictional, or when it’s apparent from the content itself, such as with animated content or video games.”
In addition to stricter censorship of violence in video games, these latest policies will also further crack down on online gambling content, expanding its enforcement to now cover “online gambling with additional items that have monetary value, including digital goods”, with examples of video game skins, cosmetics and NFTs listed.
Furthermore, content that “depicts, promotes, or facilitates social casino sites” will now also be age-restricted, even if “nothing of real-world monetary value is wagered or cashed out”. In a statement to The Verge on the platform’s updated restrictions, YouTube spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle said that “YouTube’s policies are designed to adapt to the evolving digital world, and these updates reflect our ongoing commitment to protect younger users and foster a responsible platform.”
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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