Report inappropriate content

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.

The life of a flag

How to flag content

Report a video

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.

1. Sign in to YouTube.
2. Below the player for the video you want to report, click  More.
3. In the drop-down menu, choose Report.
4. Select the reason that best fits the violation in the video.
5. Provide any additional details that may help the review team make their decision, including timestamps or descriptions of the violation.

Report a playlist

You can report a playlist if its content, title, description or tags violate our Community Guidelines.

1. Sign in to YouTube.
2. Visit the playlist page. 
   1. If the playlist is currently playing, click on its title at the top right-hand corner of the player to visit the playlist page.
3. Click More  below the playlist title.
4. Select Report Playlist.
5. Click Submit.

Report a thumbnail

You can report a video thumbnail that you see in your feed.

1. Go to the thumbnail that you'd like to report.
2. Below the thumbnail, click More .
3. Click Report.
4. Select the reason for reporting.
5. Click Report. 

Report a link

If you see a link that violates our Community Guidelines, you can report it. From the video watch page:

1. Select More   Report.
2. Select the policy that the link violates.
3. Tick the box next to 'This applies to links within the video description'.

Report a comment

The 'Report spam or abuse' link allows the community to report spam comments left on videos that they upload or watch. If enough users mark a comment as spam, it becomes hidden under a 'Marked as Spam' link. By clicking 'Show link', you can see the comment again. The video's uploader has the ability to 'unmark' a comment as spam.

1. Go to the comment that you'd like to report.
2. Click More .
3. Click Report spam or abuse.
4. 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 has been incorrectly marked as spam

If a comment that you made has been 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.

Report a live chat message

Community members can report inappropriate messages left on live streams.

1. Go to the message that you'd like to report.
2. Click More .
3. Click Report.
4. Select the reason for reporting.

Report a channel

You can report users, inappropriate background images or inappropriate profile avatars using the reporting flow located on the bottom of every channel.

1. Sign in to YouTube.
2. Go to the channel page that you want to report.
3. Click About.
4. Click the Report . 
5. Select the option that best suits your issue.

Report an ad

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.

1. Select Report on the video player Menu. 
2. A menu will appear to select the reason for reporting the video.  
3. Once you've selected 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

To file a privacy complaint, start the privacy complaint process. Your privacy is always respected during this process.

Legal reporting

To report a legal issue on behalf of yourself or your client:

1. Go to the watch page of the video that you'd like to report. 
2. Under the video, click the three-dot menu. 
3. Click Report.
4. Select 'Infringes my rights'. 
5. Select the relevant issue. If your issue isn't captured, select 'Other legal claim'. 
6. Fill in the form and submit. 

To help us investigate your claim more quickly, we encourage you to submit your claim using our webform, rather than by fax or post.

Note that abuse of our legal forms may result in the termination of your YouTube account.

Moment of death or critical injury footage

We endeavour to respect the wishes of families in regard to footage of their loved ones being critically injured. If you've identified content showing a family member during the moment of death/critical injury, and you wish to request content removal, use our webform.

Requests are carefully reviewed, but bear in mind that we take public interest and newsworthiness into account when figuring out whether content will be removed or not.