YouTube decided to ban
“dangerous challenges and pranks” from the platform, updating their community
guidelines and enforcement of rules with a promise they will remove content
that qualifies as encouraging “violence or dangerous activities.”
The ban tightening follows
headlines about Netflix’s Bird Box just keeps on growing, after a viral
challenge related to the hit Sandra-Bullock-starring thriller made waves
online. While they don’t mention the movie directly, the timing is notable.
“YouTube is home to many
beloved viral challenges and pranks, but we need to make sure what’s funny
doesn’t cross the line into also being harmful or dangerous,” they explained in
the revised guidelines posted online. “We’ve updated our external guidelines to
make it clear that we prohibit challenges presenting a risk of serious danger
or death, and pranks that make victims believe they’re in serious physical
danger, or cause children to experience severe emotional distress.”
One of many viral challenges
that can become dangerous, for the “Bird Boxchallenge,” people move around
blindfolded, as Bullock does in the popular film. (In the movie, she is
battling an invisible adversary in a post-apocalyptic landscape, which requires
her to keep herself blindfolded to avoid a terrible fate.) At least one car
accident has been potentially linked to the challenge.
Viral challenges are popular
on YouTube and social media, from the ice bucket challenge — which helped raise
money for research on ALS — to the “mannequin” and “In My Feelings” challenges,
which inspired people to upload creative dance videos. But it looks like people
have finally taken things too far with the Bird Box challenge, and YouTube is
making an official step towards encouraging a safer environment.
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