YouTube to start cracking down on videos with misleading titles

YouTube has issued an official statement that may serve as a cautionary note for certain creators in India who employ clickbait titles or thumbnails to enhance the appeal of their video content.

In a recent blog post, Google announced that videos featuring clickbait titles or thumbnails, especially those on breaking news or current events, will be subject to removal.

The technology company highlighted that numerous creators resort to sensational and misleading titles, often incorporating phrases such as “Breaking News” or “The President Steps Down,” which can lead to confusion and ultimately result in misleading content.

YouTube emphasized that such titles can leave viewers feeling deceived and frustrated, particularly when they seek crucial information.

“We are intensifying our efforts to combat blatant clickbait on YouTube. This entails an increase in our enforcement against videos where the title or thumbnail promises viewers something the video fails to deliver. This is particularly vital for videos addressing topics like breaking news or current events, ensuring that viewers are not misled about the content they are watching on YouTube. We will begin to gradually implement this in India over the next few months,” the company stated in its blog post.

In response to this issue, YouTube’s news initiative has declared that it will remove videos employing such clickbait strategies without issuing strikes against the creator’s channel. However, the company will provide content creators with a grace period to modify and align their videos with YouTube’s updated guidelines.

This is not the first instance of YouTube attempting to tackle the clickbait issue on its platform. Previously, the tech giant launched an educational program aimed at assisting creators in avoiding clickbait practices. Now, the use of such titles will result in the removal of videos.