As a parent, I’m deeply alarmed by reports that YouTube has quietly weakened its content moderation policies, encouraging staff to leave up harmful videos in the name of “freedom of expression”—even when they break YouTube’s own rules.

According to The New York Times, YouTube has told moderators to allow videos with misinformation, hate speech, and even harassment to stay online if they’re labeled “public interest.”

That includes content with derogatory slurs, conspiracy theories about vaccines, and graphic political violence.

The platform is even allowing up to half a video’s content to violate its policies and still remain online.

This is not just an internet issue. This is a child safety issue.

Pew Research shows that 90% of U.S. teens use YouTube. Many younger children also access the platform through family accounts, school devices, or unsupervised phones. These policy changes put millions of kids at risk of encountering disturbing, misleading, or hateful content.

As parents, we expect companies like YouTube to put safety first—not politics or profits.

That’s why I’m calling on YouTube’s leadership to immediately reinstate stricter content moderation guidelines, especially for videos that can be easily accessed by children and teens.

The company must prioritize health, truth, and safety over clicks.

YouTube says it wants to be a place for learning, creativity, and connection. It cannot be that if it won’t protect the people who use it the most—our kids.

Please sign if you agree it’s time for YouTube to take responsibility and do better.