What is Age-Gating / Age Restriction?
Sometimes content doesn't violate YouTube's policies, but it may not be appropriate for viewers under 18. This content will have an age-restriction applied, so that only users who are signed in to account (with a birthday over 18+ years ago), can view the content. Videos that are age-restricted may also have limited or no ads running.
What does an Age Gated video look like?
If a user is not signed in to a YouTube account that has its birthday set at least 18 years ago, they will see the above message: "Sign in to confirm your age, this video may be inappropriate for some users." The thumbnail for the video will also be blurred on the search results page.
If a user is signed in to a YouTube account whose birthday is at least 18 years ago, then the video and its thumbnail will be visible/playable.
**Videos that are age-restricted may also have limited or no ads running.
Why was my video Age Gated / Age Restricted?
Age-restriction is set by YouTube, not Vevo. Your video may have been flagged by users as inappropriate and then age-restricted, or the video may have been reviewed by YouTube and had the age-restriction applied internally by YouTube.
According to YouTube, a video that is age-gated may have violated one of the following guidelines:
Child safety
-A video containing adults participating in dangerous activities that minors could easily imitate, such as handling explosives or challenges that cause bodily injury
-A video meant for adult audiences but could easily be confused with family content
Harmful or dangerous activities, including regulated substances and drugs
-A video about fake harmful pranks that seems so real that viewers can't tell the difference
-A video promoting a cannabis dispensary
Nudity and sexually suggestive content
-A video that invites sexual activity, such as provocative dancing or fondling
-A video where the subject is in a pose that is intended to sexually arouse the viewer
-A video where the subject is in clothing that is considered unacceptable in public contexts, such as lingerie
Violent or graphic content
-A video with context showing survivor's injuries in a major road accident
-A video focused on violent or gory imagery, such as focusing solely on the most graphically violent part of a film or video game
Vulgar language
-A video with heavy profanity in the title, thumbnail or associated metadata
-A video focused on the use of profanities such as a compilation or clips taken out of context
Can I remove the Age Restriction on my video?
If a video is age-gated, and you believe for certain the video does not violate the policies above, Content Ops may be able to submit an appeal on your behalf. Please note not all videos are eligible for appeal. If a video is restricted with no opportunity to appeal, the video has already been human-reviewed and found to have violated the policies; if this is the case, Content Ops will notify you.
I do not believe my video violates the YouTube guidelines listed above, how do I submit an appeal?
Note: if your music video includes violence, and your video was restricted because of this violence, you should not submit an appeal stating there is no violence in the video. Please only submit an appeal if your video does not violate any of the guidelines listed above.
To submit an appeal, please start a ticket with Vevo Content Ops containing the following 3 items:
1. the video URL
2. Vevo channel name
3. REQUIRED: A short statement to explaining why you believe your content does not violate YouTube's Community Guidelines. Please provide as much detail as possible and make your case to YouTube. (800 character limit)
If you do not submit a ticket with the statement, we will submit the appeal with the generic statement: "[Content Provider] is requesting manual review of the video," and there will be less of a chance the appeal is successful.
Content Ops will then submit the appeal on your behalf and let you know once there's an update.
Please note: you may only submit an appeal for a video once and if YouTube rejects the appeal, there is no other recourse. YouTube (not Vevo) makes the final decision on the appeal, and does reserve the right to keep the restriction on the video if it does violate the above policies. Vevo cannot remove the appeal on YouTube, it is locked in.