YouTube Help Center

Why doesn't the algorithm push my videos?

The key metric isn't how long people watch your video — it's "session watch time": did they keep watching YouTube afterward?

Does a "limited ads" (yellow icon) label also hurt my reach — does YouTube bury demonetized videos on purpose?

YouTube officially says no effect on reach; creators have long suspected otherwise, and there's a structural reason to suspect it.

What's the difference between a copyright strike and a Content ID claim?

A Content ID claim automatically redirects ad revenue to the rights holder while your video stays up; a copyright strike is a formal legal takedown — three strikes and your channel is terminated.

Is "1,000 subscribers / 4,000 watch hours" still the bar for monetization?

The subscriber floor dropped to 500 — but you now also need either 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.

My Shorts get huge view counts — why is the payout so small?

Shorts use a completely different payout model — RPM per 1,000 views can be a tiny fraction of long-form, and it shrinks further if you use licensed music.

Why does Korea not get a YouTube Premium family plan?

It genuinely doesn't — Korea is one of only five countries worldwide without a Premium family plan (alongside Venezuela, Belarus, Slovenia, and Iceland).

Super Chat and channel memberships — same revenue split as ads?

Super Chat, Super Stickers, and memberships all split 70% creator / 30% YouTube — actually more generous than ad revenue, where creators only get 55%. iOS payments take an extra cut first.

Does YouTube advertising actually work?

Skippable in-stream ads finish at a 15-30% completion rate and click-through around 0.5-1.5% — numbers that look low but the industry treats as normal.

Is YouTube Premium actually worth it?

On pure time-value math, the ad-time you save is worth more than the subscription — though if you already pay for a separate music service, the cheaper Lite tier makes more sense than full Premium.

Why is YouTube pushing into shopping and mini-games lately?

Ad revenue alone carries growth-slowdown risk, so YouTube is diversifying — 0% platform commission to pull in shopping revenue, and in-app games to buy more watch-time.

What's the difference between a Community Guidelines strike and a copyright strike?

A separate three-strike system for content that itself breaks the rules (profanity, violence, misinformation) — as opposed to using someone else's content. From the 2nd strike, uploading is fully blocked for 2 weeks.

How do I verify my age to watch age-restricted videos?

Verify your birthdate in your Google Account settings — phone-number verification is the fastest, highest-success method. Age-restricted videos won't play at all if you're not verified or logged out.

Why is it risky to use a VPN to pay for YouTube Premium at another country's price?

Switching your billing region to a cheaper country via VPN is a Terms of Service violation — if YouTube detects it, your subscription can be force-cancelled or your account suspended.

Why do my comments sometimes not show up, or disappear?

Comments containing external links get auto-held for review, and posting the same thing repeatedly in a short window can get auto-flagged as spam.

My YouTube account looks hacked — how do I get it back?

Your YouTube channel is tied to your Google Account, not a separate login — so recovery starts with Google Account recovery, not YouTube.

What is "Slow mode" in live chat, and why does everyone's pinned Super Chat last a different length of time?

Slow mode forces a minimum wait between messages from any one viewer to stop chat flooding; Super Chat pin duration scales directly with how much was paid.

What's the difference between the YouTube Kids app and regular YouTube's "supervised" mode?

YouTube Kids is a fully separate app running on a much smaller, pre-screened content pool; regular YouTube's supervised experience keeps almost all content but lets a parent filter it by age tier.

Why does it say "this video is not available in your country"?

Not a YouTube-imposed block — the video's uploader set that country-level restriction because they don't hold distribution rights for the music/clips used there.

My monetization eligibility was revoked — when can I reapply?

If it's your first-ever rejection, you can reapply after 30 days. If you've been rejected before, or your channel was suspended after being approved, the wait is 90 days.