YouTube Cracks Down: New Age-Detection Tech Aims to Shield Kids from Harmful Content

X, formerly Twitter, is rolling out a new advertising policy that eliminates hashtags and severely restricts emoji usage in paid promotions. The company claims these changes will usher in a “new age of in-stream ads” that are sleeker, more responsive, and ultimately more effective.The pitch sounds compelling on the surface—ads that blend seamlessly into the user’s timeline without “clunky hashtags, over-the-top emojis, or distracting URLs,” as X describes it. The company says this stripped-down look will produce ads that are “crisp, captivating, and genuinely resonant,” cutting through the noise without clutter.But here’s the problem: there’s no evidence to back it up. X hasn’t shared any data showing that removing hashtags or limiting emojis to one per ad actually improves user engagement or ad performance. The decision appears to be driven primarily by Elon Musk’s personal design philosophy rather than hard analytics.Musk has long expressed disdain for what he considers visual clutter on the platform. He previously attempted to remove in-stream function buttons to achieve a “cleaner” aesthetic, has criticized referral links, and even labeled hashtags an “esthetic nightmare.” This latest advertising shift feels like an extension of those preferences rather than a product of market research.Of course, cleaner ads could be a positive step. But when product changes aren’t backed by testing, studies, or insight into real-world performance, it raises questions. Normally, such shifts would be based on A/B testing and user behavior data. Here, we’re left with assertions rather than evidence.The company also announced a new “aesthetic score” for ads, one that will influence ad pricing. In short, if your ads don’t meet X’s visual standards, you’ll pay more to reach your audience. The message to advertisers is clear: create ads X approves of, or be prepared to spend more.Beyond design, X insists its ad technology is improving thanks to “state-of-the-art machine learning” and AI-driven targeting that promises “laser precision” in reaching ideal audiences. Grok, X’s conversational AI, is also being integrated to assist advertisers with ad copy, creative generation, and campaign analysis. Yet again, no specific data or case studies were offered to prove these enhancements deliver the promised “superior outcomes.”Interestingly, X also plans to extend its Grok-powered “Explain this post” feature to ads, allowing users to gain deeper insights into advertising claims and the companies behind them. While this could enhance transparency, it may not sit well with all advertisers, particularly those relying on aggressive marketing language.So, will these changes make X ads more effective? That remains an open question. What’s certain is that X ads will look different—and advertisers will need to adapt or pay more for reach. Whether these moves lead to better performance or simply reflect Elon Musk’s personal vision for the platform remains to be seen.For now, if you’re running ads on X, the new rules aren’t optional. Hashtags are out, emojis are limited, and design quality will directly affect cost. Whether that makes your campaigns more successful—or simply more expensive—is something you’ll only know once you start testing under the new system.📢 If you're interested in Facebook Ads Account, don't hesitate to connect with us!🔹 https://linktr.ee/Adshinepro💬 We're always ready to assist you!

In a move that many creators have long been waiting for, YouTube has updated its Advertiser Friendly Guidelines, enabling videos that include profanity early on to still qualify for full monetization.The change effectively reverses part of a policy that had frustrated creators—especially those in gaming—since its introduction in 2023, when YouTube began restricting ad revenue for videos featuring strong profanity within the first few seconds of playback.Back in late 2022, YouTube rolled out stricter Advertiser Friendly Guidelines that targeted inappropriate language and violence in uploaded clips. The result? A wave of demonetization across entire creator categories, most notably gaming, where content often includes in-game violence and spontaneous commentary laden with strong language.Creators pushed back hard, citing lost ad revenue and ambiguity in how these rules were enforced. In early 2023, YouTube softened the blow slightly by narrowing its profanity rule to the first seven seconds of a video, rather than the first 15 seconds. But even that tweak left many creators struggling to maintain monetization.“You can now use strong profanity within the first seven seconds of your video and still be eligible for full monetization,” confirmed YouTube’s head of monetization policy, Connor Kavanagh. “Previously, uploads with strong profanity in the first seven seconds were ineligible and automatically flagged with the yellow dollar icon.”For context, YouTube’s basic monetization signals are:- Green icon: Full ad revenue.- Yellow icon: Limited or no ads (a partial demonetization).- Red icon: No monetization at all.This update means fewer yellow icons, and more opportunities for creators to keep revenue intact—even if their videos start with strong language.For years, advertisers have demanded what YouTube describes as “distance between profanity and ad placement.” That expectation was baked into the platform’s original enforcement policies. But advertiser sentiment has changed, YouTube says, thanks in part to new targeting tools that let advertisers choose the profanity tolerance level they’re comfortable with.As Kavanagh notes, “Advertisers already have the ability to target content to their desired level of profanity.”That said, the update isn’t a carte blanche for unrestricted language. YouTube has made it clear that:- Strong profanity in titles or thumbnails will still trigger restrictions.- Excessive swearing throughout a video can still limit ad eligibility.In other words, creators can now open a video with strong language and stay fully monetized—but heavy profanity from start to finish, or in key visible areas like thumbnails and titles, remains a problem.For creators, this is a significant and welcome change. It acknowledges evolving norms in both advertising and online content, while reducing the monetization uncertainty that has plagued YouTube’s profanity policies for more than two years.Still, creators who want to play it safe may continue to watch their wording carefully. YouTube’s updated Advertiser Friendly Guidelines offer more detailed information on where and how these relaxed standards apply.📢 If you're interested in Facebook Ads Account, don't hesitate to connect with us!🔹 https://linktr.ee/Adshinepro💬 We're always ready to assist you!

TikTok has announced a raft of new safety and social care tools, which are designed to help ensure that users aren’t engaging in harmful behaviors in the app, while also giving creators more options to manage and maintain their presence.First off, TikTok’s adding some new elements to its Family Pairing feature which will give parents more visibility about their teen’s account.In order to help parents better manage their experience time in the app, TikTok’s adding a new alert that will let parents know when their teen uploads a video, story, or photo that’s visible to others on TikTok.“This helps parents stay informed and start open conversations about what their teen is posting, without disrupting a teen’s creativity or independence.”So if your teens are uploading content that everybody can see, which could open them up to harmful exposure, you’ll now, at the least, be aware of it.TikTok’s also giving parents more visibility into their teens’ privacy settings.“For instance, parents will see if their teen (ages 16-17) has enabled downloads for their content, or if their following list is visible to others. They can also see which topics in our Manage Topics feature their teen has chosen to shape their feed.”The idea is that this will give parents more insight into their child’s activity in the app in a non-intrusive way, enabling them to better understand how exactly their kids are using the app, and whether they could be at risk.Which is important, considering that various studies have shown how social media platforms can impact teen mental health, and lead them down harmful rabbit holes and conceptual spirals. Having this additional insight will, at the least, provide some additional assurance on this front.Finally, on Family Pairing at least, TikTok’s adding a new option that’ll enable parents to block specific accounts.“We heard from parents that they know best what content is suitable for their teen, and this tool gives them another way to customize their teen’s TikTok experience.”This one seems a little more intrusive, even if it does align with parent requests, though that also comes down to application, and how parents look to implement such. Though it could lead to more angst and argument between kids and parents. On a related front, TikTok’s also rolling out new “Well-being Missions,” which are “a series of short, engaging missions designed to help people develop long-term balanced digital habits.”As you can see in this example, TikTok’s Well-Being Missions are focused on several elements, like managing your usage time, with challenges and badges that reward users for healthy digital behaviors.The idea is that by gamifying well-being-related activity, that will further incentivize young users to engage in this element, and develop better habits around their use of digital tools and apps.“In early testing, we’ve seen encouraging levels of interest in this new feature. With no in-app promotion, nearly 40% of people who came across the entry point chose to explore Well-being Missions. We also saw that more interactive formats, like quizzes and flashcards, were especially well received.”It could be a handy tool to raise awareness of these elements, and get more teens engaging in TikTok’s expanded care and wellness tools.TikTok’s also looking to take care of creators, with a suite of new tools that aim to help creators maintain the safety of their TikTok communities.These include a new “Creator Care Mode”, which enables creators to filter out offensive and unwanted comments, and a new mute option for TikTok LIVE, which will let live creators bulk mute words, phrases and emojis.On another front, TikTok’s also rolling out a new “Content Check Lite” option, a pre-check process that’ll let creators know whether their content is likely to be ineligible for the For You feed before they post.While it’s also adding a new Creator Inbox which will give creators more options to control how people can contact them in the app.Finally, TikTok’s also adding Creator Chat Rooms, a private engagement option that will enable creators to engage with specific fans and followers in a separate space.Which leans into the popularity of messaging as a connection tool, and will give creators more options to consider for engaging their most passionate fans.Though the requirements for such are restrictive.Creators will need at least 10,000 followers and either a Subscription or a LIVE Fan Club to start a Creator Chat Room.The Chat Rooms will be limited to 300 members each, so they can be fairly large, and you can create up to 20 chat rooms at once.That could provide a range of new opportunities to interact with smaller sub-segments of your broader audience.Some handy updates, which will give creators more ways to manage their TikTok activity and presence.📢 If you're interested in Facebook Ads Account, don't hesitate to connect with us!🔹 https://linktr.ee/Adshinepro💬 We're always ready to assist you!