Child-safety advocates warn that pedophiles exploit the video-sharing site yet face few consequences. And in 2017, a controversy dubbed #ElsaGate erupted when some video creators “made inappropriate use of family-friendly characters” in order to attract young viewers. Many of the clips in question featured cartoon characters in sexual or violent settings; some glamorized suicide and drugs. Creators of those videos, meanwhile, defended the material as satirical or as protected speech.
Twitter has permanently suspended some high-profile users, including Donald Trump. The former president once threatened to shut down sites that “silence conservative voices.” Few plaintiffs in anti-bias lawsuits against social media companies are victorious in court.
Lives Are at Stake, Others Argue
As some people accuse YouTube and other sites of engaging in “cancel culture,” others say the new policies are necessary—especially during a pandemic. Reacting to YouTube’s announcement Wednesday, Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, says, “This is good news but not mission accomplished. Some members of the Disinformation Dozen still have live channels, with more than 100,000 total subscribers.”
Ahmed adds, “Anti-vaxxers have used social media platforms with impunity for far too long, risking the lives of millions, if not billions, of people around the world. Right now, there are people gasping for breath in ICUs because they were targeted with propaganda that convinced them that vaccines would do them more harm than COVID would. Many of them will not live.”
