How to Report a YouTube Channel (2024)

YouTube gives every user a lot of freedom to upload whatever they wish. While this allows everyone to upload videos freely, it also makes room for a lot of hateful and abusive content.

A lot of YouTubers misuse this freedom to spread hate, violence, and negativity. As of Jul- Sep 2022, YouTube has removed more than 5,820,978 channels because they somehow violated community guidelines. 

That’s why if you ever come across a video or channel on YouTube that spreads negative content, always report it. 

And if you don’t know how to report a YouTube channel or video, this post is for you. Here we’ve shared how you can easily keep the platform clutter-free by reporting spammy content or inappropriate channels. 

What Happens If You Report a Channel on YouTube?

If you report a channel on YouTube, it won’t be taken down immediately. First, the review team will check if the channel truly violates their community guidelines. 

If YouTube finds out the channel has a single case of abuse or violation, they’ll terminate the YouTube channel from the platform. 

All of the videos uploaded by the channel will be removed, and the user may not be able to create or access additional accounts. 

If the channel has content that falls into the category of severe abuse, such as predatory behavior, the channel will get terminated immediately without any strikes or warnings. 

How to Report a YouTube Channel on a Desktop

If you notice a YouTube channel often posts inappropriate or offensive videos, it’s your moral duty to report that channel. And the easiest way to report a YouTube channel is by using a desktop. 

Here’s how you can do that: 

Step 1: Open youtube.com on your desktop and log in to your account. 

Step 2: Find a channel that posts offensive video content and visit their channel page.

Step 3: Once you open the channel page, at the top bar, click About.

Step 4: Under the About section, find the flag-shaped report button and click on it.

Step 5:  Now, a menu will appear with a few options. The options are:

• Report channel art
• Report profile picture
• Report user

From these options, choose the Report user option. 

Step 6: In the Report user menu, select a reason that justifies why you’d like to report that channel. 

Step 7: Click the Next button. 

Step 8: Now YouTube will redirect you to a different tab to add more details about why you are reporting. Follow the complaint process as guided by YouTube. 

Step 9: Once you’ve completed the process, click the Submit button. 

After submitting the report, YouTube will take some time to review the report and take action accordingly. If the channel violates YouTube’s guidelines, chances are it will be removed from the platform. 

How to Report a YouTube Channel on a Mobile Device (iPhone & Android)

Whether it’s Android or iPhone, reporting a YouTube channel on a mobile device is as simple as reporting it from a desktop. 

Follow the steps mentioned below to report a YouTube channel from your mobile device: 

Step 1: Open the YouTube app on your phone (Android or iPhone).

Step 2: Search and visit the channel you want to report. 

Step 3: On the channel’s page, tap the three vertical dots button in the top right corner of your device. 

Step 4: From the drop-down menu, tap the Report user option. 

Step 5: YouTube will redirect you to the youtube.com page. 

Step 6: Now click the report user button, which looks like a flag. 

Step 7: A drop-down menu will appear; from there, tap the Report user option. 

Step 8: Another pop-up menu will appear on your screen; from there, select a reason for your report. Then, tap the Next button. 

Step 9: Now youtube will ask you to put more details about the report. 

Step 10: Once you’ve completed the process, tap Submit. 

If the channel clearly violates the rules of YouTube, the channel will be taken down immediately. 

How to Report a YouTube Video on a Desktop

If you find a particular YouTube video abusive or violent, instead of reporting the entire channel, you can report that specific YouTube video. 

To report a YouTube video on a desktop, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open youtube.com and log in to your account 

Step 2: Find the video that violates YouTube’s guidelines and click on it. 

Step 3: Under the video, click the three horizontal dots button to open the menu. 

Step 4: From the menu, click Report. 

Step 5: Choose a reason behind reporting the video. 

Step 6. Click the Next button. 

Step 7: You can add more details to help YouTube’s team review the content better. For example, you can add timestamps or describe the violation in detail. 

Step 8: Finally, click Report to complete the process. 

If the YouTube review team doesn’t find any violations in the video, your reporting won’t matter. The video will remain the same on that channel. 

How to Report YouTube Videos on Mobile

Reporting YouTube videos on mobile devices is quite identical to the process of reporting videos on a desktop. All you have to do is follow the easy steps below:

Step 1:  Open the YouTube app on your device. 

Step 2: Open the video you’d like to report. 

Step 3: At the upper right corner of that video, tap the gear icon or Settings button. 

Step 4: On the settings menu, tap Report. 

Step 5: Now, give a proper reason that tells why you’re reporting that video. 

Step 6: Next, tap Report. 

And that’s all! If the video content isn’t appropriate, YouTube will remove it after your reporting. 

YouTube Guidelines

It’s easy to hit the report button anytime on YouTube. But reporting a channel or video doesn’t ensure that it will be removed from the site. 

Because often, the videos or channels you’re reporting aren’t even breaking any rules of YouTube. That’s why before reporting anything, it’s crucial to learn about the content guidelines of YouTube. 

YouTube’s content guidelines or policies comply with laws and regulations. Some of their policies strictly follow the company’s preference. 

Here we’ve shared a quick checklist of YouTube’s content guidelines so that you can make informed decisions before hitting the report button. 

As per the recent content guidelines of YouTube, the platform strictly restricts the following: 

1. Content Guidelines for Spam and Deceptive Practice

• Fake engagement
• Impersonation
• Fake redirections
• Misleading titles or descriptions
• Spam links in the content
• Livestream abuse

2. Guidelines for Sensitive Content 

• Child safety
• Nudity and sexual content
• Custom thumbnails that promote violence, vulgarity, nudity, and gore
• Self-harm 

3. Guidelines for Violent Content

• Harassment and hate speech
• Cyberbullying
• Harmful and dangerous content
• Misinformation related to medical diagnosis or transmission 
• Violent or graphic content

4. Regulated Goods

• Content that promotes firearms 
• Content that promotes illegal goods 

How Many Reports Does it Take to Delete a YouTube Channel? 

It takes at least three YouTube guidelines strikes in 90 days to delete a channel. 

Also, if the YouTube channel has a case of severe abuse or guidelines violations such as predatory behavior or spam account, all of its video content can be terminated immidietly. 

However, if the YouTube content review team doesn’t notice any act of violation, no amount of reporting will work on that channel. 

Wrapping Up

That’s how you can report a YouTube channel or video easily using any desktop or mobile device.

YouTube is a great platform to share your creative side with the world and learn valuable information from other creators. 

But, if you expose yourself to inappropriate, misleading, or abusive content, in no time, the boon will turn into a curse.

That’s why, as a responsible YouTube user, it’s your responsibility to keep the platform clean. And the best part is you can do all the reporting anonymously. 

So go ahead, and follow the steps we’ve mentioned in this post to get rid of the channels you’re not happy with. 

Also, instead of reporting an entire channel, you can decide to report a specific video that exploits YouTube’s guidelines.