YouTube to crack down on clickbait videos, starting in India

Many YouTube videos use flashy, misleading titles and thumbnails, such as “BREAKING NEWS” or “The president steps down,” to lure users into watching content that is unrelated to the headline. Clickbait occurs when the video’s title or thumbnail includes promises or claims that aren't delivered within the video itself, especially when that content focuses on breaking news or current events. 

YouTube has announced plans to crack down on such videos, particularly those addressing topics like breaking news or current events, beginning in India. The platform also revealed that stricter rules against clickbait titles and thumbnails will be enforced in the coming months.

Initially, the enforcement will involve removing these videos without issuing a strike against the creator’s channel. Last year, YouTube introduced a program allowing creators to take an educational training course to clear any warnings against their channels.

“We’re strengthening our efforts to tackle egregious clickbait on YouTube. This means we’re planning to increase our enforcement against videos where the title or thumbnail promises viewers something that the video doesn’t deliver,” the company stated in a Google India blog post.

“This can leave viewers feeling tricked, frustrated, or even misled—particularly in moments when they come to YouTube in search of important or timely information.”

YouTube has not clarified how it will define breaking news or current events. For example, will the term cover only political and governmental developments, or will it include sports events? The company has also not shared details about how it will detect mismatches between thumbnails or titles and the video’s actual content.