Giving examples of what stunts that are considered dangerous, Google specifically names Tide Pod challenge as well as the Fire challenge in addition to 'Bird Box' challenge.
- Jan 17, 2019
AceShowbiz - In the wake of "Bird Box" challenge fiasco, YouTube is taking a big measure on the dangerous prank and stunts videos on its platform. The Google video-sharing site announced on Tuesday, January 15, that it would ban altogether any content "that encourages dangerous activities that are likely to result in serious harm."
"While it might not seem fair to say you can't show something because of what viewes might do in response, we draw the line at Content that intends to incite violence or encourage dangerous or illegal activities that have an inherent risk of serious physical harm or death," the site stated.
Giving examples of what stunts that are considered dangerous, Google specifically named Tide Pod challenge as well as the Fire challenge in addition to "Bird Box" challenge, which saw its participants doing activities, like walking, crossing a busy street or driving a car, while blindfolded.
Recently, the challenge resulted in a car accident on Layton Parkway. "Bird Box Challenge while driving...predictable result. This happened on Monday as a result of the driver covering her eyes while driving on Layton Parkway. Luckily no injuries," the official account of Layton Police tweeted alongside pictures of damaged cars due to the crash.
"YouTube is home to many beloved viral challenges and pranks...That said, we've always had policies to make sure what's funny doesn't cross the line into also being harmful or dangerous," YouTube further stated in its updated FAQ section.
The statement continued, "We don't allow pranks that make victims believe they're in serious physical danger -- for example, a home invasion prank or a drive-by shooting prank. We also don't allow pranks that cause children to experience severe emotional distress, meaning something so bad that it could leave the child traumatized for life."
