We rely on YouTube community members to report, or flag content that they find inappropriate. Reporting content is anonymous, so other users can't tell who made the report.
When something is reported, it’s not automatically taken down. Reported content is reviewed along the following guidelines:
- Content that violates our Community Guidelines is removed from YouTube.
- Content that may not be appropriate for younger audiences may be age-restricted.
How to flag content
YouTube staff review reported videos 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A video can be reported at any time once uploaded to YouTube, and then it is reviewed by YouTube staff. If no violations are found by our review team, no amount of reporting will change that and the video will remain on our site.
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Below the player for the video you want to report, click
More.
- In the drop-down menu, choose Report.
- Select the reason that best fits the violation in the video.
- Provide any additional details that may help the review team make their decision, including timestamps or descriptions of the violation.
Report a playlist
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Visit the playlist page.
- If the playlist is currently playing, click on its title at the top-right of the player to visit the playlist page.
- Click More
below the playlist title.
- Select Report Playlist.
- Click Submit.
Report a thumbnail
- Go to the thumbnail you'd like to report.
- Below the thumbnail, click More
.
- Click Report.
- Select the reason for reporting.
- Click Report.
Report a link
- Select More
Report.
- Select the policy that the link violates.
- Check the box next to “This applies to links within the video description".
The "Report spam or abuse" link allows the community to report spam comments left on videos they upload or watch. If enough users mark a comment as spam, it becomes hidden under a "Marked as Spam" link. By clicking the "Show link" you can see the comment again. The video's uploader has the ability to "unmark" a comment as spam.
- Go to the comment you'd like to report.
- Click More
.
- Click Report spam or abuse.
- Select the reason for reporting.
Use the "Report spam or abuse" feature with extreme caution. If you misuse it, you may be prohibited from using YouTube.
My comment was marked as spam incorrectly
If you believe a comment you made was marked as spam but you don't believe it to be, you can contact the video's uploader and ask them to reinstate your comment.
Community members can report inappropriate messages left on live streams.
- Go to the message you'd like to report.
- Click More
.
- Click Report.
- Select the reason for reporting.
You can report users, inappropriate background images, or inappropriate profile avatars using the reporting flow located on the bottom of every channel.
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Go to the channel page you want to report.
- Click About.
- Click the Report
.
- Select the option that best suits your issue.
If you see an ad that is inappropriate or even violates Google’s ad policies, you can report it.
To report the ad, select Info on the ad then Why this ad
Report this ad, or choose to fill out and submit this form. Our team will then review your ad report and take action if appropriate.
Reporting ads is only available on YouTube mobile and desktop.
Report content on YouTube on TV
You can report a video directly from the YouTube on TV app.
- Select Report on the video player Menu.
- A menu will appear to select the reason for reporting the video.
- Once you select the reason, you'll see a confirmation message.
Other reporting options
If the reporting process does not accurately capture your issue, we have other reporting mechanisms for you to use.
Privacy reporting
- Go to the watch page of the video you'd like to report.
- Under the video, click the three dot Menu.
- Click Report.
- Select "Infringes my rights".
- Select the relevant issue. If your issue isn't captured, select "Other legal claim".
- Fill out the form and submit.