Sophie Blake
YouTube is softening one of its longest-standing enforcement rules by allowing previously banned creators to return to the platform under a new “second chance” initiative. The move marks a notable policy shift as the company adjusts its approach to content moderation amid ongoing political scrutiny and evolving regulatory pressures.
Starting this week, eligible creators whose channels were permanently terminated will see an option within YouTube Studio to request the creation of a new channel. The program applies to accounts banned at least one year ago and excludes those removed for copyright violations, breaches of the Creator Responsibility policy, or users who deleted their Google accounts.
Approved applicants will begin from scratch, with no carryover of past videos, subscribers, or monetization privileges. Once their new channels meet the criteria for the YouTube Partner Program, they may apply to rejoin monetization efforts.
The platform said it will evaluate applications based on the severity and frequency of past violations and will also consider off-platform behavior that could pose risks to user safety—particularly issues related to child protection.
The pilot program follows months of political and legal tension surrounding content moderation. Last week, YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit over the suspension of Donald Trump’s channel following the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. The company has also faced criticism from lawmakers for alleged political bias and pressure from both the Biden and Trump administrations regarding its handling of COVID-19 and election misinformation.
The “second chance” initiative arrives as YouTube continues to unwind some of its pandemic-era and election-related content restrictions. Earlier this year, Google informed Congress that YouTube had updated its community guidelines to remove certain COVID-19 misinformation rules introduced in 2020.
“YouTube has evolved over the past 20 years, and many creators deserve a chance to start fresh,” the company said in a statement. “We’re carefully reviewing requests and learning as we go.”
The rollout will continue over the next several weeks, with YouTube reviewing creator requests on a case-by-case basis. While the company has not disclosed how many terminated creators will be eligible, it confirmed the program will initially focus on those banned for policies that are no longer in effect—such as outdated COVID-19 and election misinformation guidelines.
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