TierlistMan39

I’m Here

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube, since I've still been able to get a human response through email, I would like to present my case more formally through here.

I am a college junior and the creator of Tierlistman39--a YouTube channel that has
grown to approximately 40,000 subscribers and more than 5 million views in just eight months.
YouTube recently removed my channel from the YouTube Partner Program and demonetized it
for “misleading family content,” and my appeal was denied.
I am asking for an independent human review by an experienced YPP or policy specialist,
because I believe YouTube has fundamentally misclassified my channel.

Why YouTube Should Take Another Look

Several facts do not appear consistent with the determination that my channel is misleading family content:
My videos are designated “Not Made for Kids,” and my analytics show that my audience is overwhelmingly adults.
My content consists primarily of commentary and humor involving anime, gaming and pop culture. YouTube’s own guidelines as well as COPPA both acknowledge that animated content does not necessarily mean its meant for children and that the key determinant should be the self selection of the creator to mark their content as not for children and disclose the content in this video both of which I have done.
YouTube has misinterpreted animated imagery on my channel before. A GIF of Squidward from SpongeBob was flagged for nudity or sexual content, apparently because the character does not wear pants. After human review, YouTube reversed that decision but only after multiple automated rejected appeals and nearly three weeks of asking for a human review.
Other animation creators have publicly reported receiving the same “misleading family content” determination, and some have had monetization restored after additional review.
Shortly before my demonetization, one of my videos received more than 400,000 views and reached #49 overall on YouTube’s Hyped leaderboard. That video addressed racist content on TikTok and ultimately exposed me to an extraordinary level of attention and harassment including a brigading campaign from a larger creator which is visible within the comments of the video. There was likely a coordinated increase in reports and other concerning signs around Early September to late August

My Audience and Content

My channel does not target young children. My audience analytics show that over 80% of my subscribers or viewers are 18 or older. The overwhelming majority of my viewers are adults.
I understand that audience demographics alone do not determine whether content is directed toward children; however, they are consistent with what I have been saying all along: my content is commentary and humor created for an older audience that happens to use anime, and other animated imagery. This has been reflected in the status of my videos, none of which are marked as for children either personally or by YouTube. In fact they are all explicitly marked as not for kids and contain disclosures regarding whether they contain profanity or other content as I am legally required to https://t.co/k3Sa1v9n6s’s own guidance explains that animated content can be general-audience content and that the presence of animated characters does not automatically make something children's content.
That is why I am concerned that the visual characteristics of my channel may be causing YouTube's systems or reviewers to misunderstand what the channel actually is.

The Hype Leaderboard and the Harassment Campaign

One part of the timeline is particularly important.I posted a video speaking out against racist content on TikTok a few weeks ago. The video received more than 400,000 views and reached #49 overall on YouTube's Hype leaderboard. Under YouTube’s own requirements, videos designated ‘Made for Kids’ are not eligible for the Hyped leaderboard. My video was not only eligible for Hype; it reached #49 overall on the leaderboard. While I understand that Hype eligibility and the YPP ‘misleading family content’ standard are not identical, this makes the later classification of my channel even more difficult for me to understand. Especially since I’ve had multiple videos be hyped to the leaderboard in the past
My video was also amplified by substantially larger creators, including TommyNFG and YXL Salah. As the video traveled well beyond my normal audience, another creator known for posting racist content targeted me and encouraged his followers to do the same. I then received approximately multiple hostile messages in roughly 24 hours, many of whom implicated said creator as the reason. Many were racist, some encouraged harm toward myself.
Shortly thereafter, YouTube demonetized my channel for “misleading family content.” I do not know whether the harassment campaign and my demonetization are connected. I also do not know whether people involved in the harassment campaign reported my videos or my channel to YouTube; however, the timing raises concerns, and I want YouTube to investigate it and find out. Since the people targeting me were willing to send racist messages and emails telling me to kill myself simply because I spoke out against racist content, I think it is entirely reasonable to ask YouTube whether some of those same people also reported my channel or videos which led to their demonetization.

Why This Issue Matters to Me

Earlier this year, I made a video about the online harassment of Black content creators, after a young Black creator died by suicide following online harassment, and I donated money from that video to a mental health organization.
As a young black creator who has themselves struggled with clinical depression and
I believed then, and still believe now, that online harassment can have serious real-world consequences which is why I continue to speak out about it.

One Question I Still Cannot Answer

I’m a Political Science major who hopes to attend law school. One of the things I am being trained to do is look at a rule, examine the evidence and determine whether the evidence actually supports the conclusion. That is what I have been trying to do here. The central question I cannot answer is: What about my channel led YouTube to conclude that I am targeting children or families?
My videos are marked Not Made for Kids. My audience is overwhelmingly adult. YouTube’s own guidance recognizes that animation can be content not for children.
YouTube previously reversed an incorrect classification involving animated imagery on my channel after human review.
And immediately before this happened, one of my videos had reached #49 overall on YouTube’s own Hype leaderboard for emerging YPP creators.
I also find it difficult to understand why, if my channel actually targets young children while exposing them to inappropriate mature content, the appropriate response is to remove my participation in advertising revenue while leaving the allegedly problematic content available to viewers and continuing to serve advertisements on it.
My video explaining this situation received approximately 95,000 views during its first 24 hours. I believe the response reflects a broader concern among creators about whether YouTube’s automated enforcement systems are accurately understanding context.

What I Am Asking @TeamYouTube to Do
I respectfully ask YouTube to:

1. Conduct an independent human review of my channel by an experienced YPP or policy
specialist, specifically examining whether my content actually targets children rather than
inferring a child audience from anime or animated imagery.

2. Explain what specific content on my channel caused YouTube to
classify it as “misleading family content.”

3. Review YouTube's internal records to determine whether my channel experienced an
unusual increase in reports during or immediately after the harassment campaign and, if
so, whether that activity played any role in triggering the review that resulted in my
Demonetization.

I have attached my audience analytics, the prior Squidward enforcement decision and reversal,
screenshots documenting the harassment, information concerning the Hype ranking, my YPP
notices and appeal, and any other information that would assist your team in conducting a
meaningful review.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my request.
Sincerely,
Tierlistman39

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube I am once again here to dispute the erroneous demonetization of my channel and so many others for 'misleading family content'. My appeal videos have not even be watched and no one has been able to tell me which if any videos on my channel violate the policy.

[Miyra ❄️ Snow Leopard Vtuber ❄️ @MiyraMirage]

I’m absolutely distraught with how untrusted I seem to be from the eyes of YouTube.

Still no human review and I am FAR from understanding what issue there could have possibly been with my YouTube channel. I would never bring any form of sex and nudity to my content on YouTube, so I’m certain this is a big misunderstanding.

I recall chatting with YouTube staff not long ago about an unrelated issue and they informed me my channel was in perfect standing, and I even received compliments that I was doing a great job. So why the sudden change of heart? I feel like I’m being treated like the most heinous criminal to the platform; especially as there were no warnings, strikes, or any negative feedback prior. The instant removal of a year’s worth of work without even pointing out an issue feels incredibly disrespectful.

@TeamYouTube please help me understand what’s going on and reinstate my channel. I am willing to work through whatever’s necessary.
My channel in question: https://t.co/UP6b2pOhyc

Also huge thank you for the support from everyone! I may or may not have cried because of you guys haha

[j0nathan @xj0nathan]

Toujours aucune nouvelle de @TeamYouTube après plus de 24h, malgré les relances, les messages de soutien et les articles qui commencent à parler de l'histoire.

N'y a-t-il donc aucun humain qui travaille chez Youtube ? Je demande simplement à récupérer ma chaîne !

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube I’ve been without income for nearly two months including money taken from my Adsense hours before payout day. My channel isn’t misleading family content as anyone could see with a human reviewer. Please watch any of my appeal videos for once.

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@SakuyaIzayoi150 @MashfiqX7 The thing is that people LARP a show mostly because it’s popping off so hard they don’t want to be left out, or they at least think the aesthetic is cool. So if your show doesn’t have them…

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

Yall go support hood vo if you can: https://t.co/KsQTmO3tEN

[The Dominant Side @thedominantside]

Hi @TeamYouTube My channel (amongst a lot of animation channel around the world) has been falsely claimed as misleading family content. My channel has no sign of that being the case and my appeal was also rejected. Please help.
Link to my video about it: https://t.co/499XC8zGKJ

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube I want my appeals viewed and an actual answer to what content on my channel is misleading family content

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube Three appeal videos, not one view on them. Three appeal videos yet nobody can actually tell me which videos or timestamps on my channel violate your policies yet I’m supposed to believe I got a proper review? My channel has never been misleading family content and never will be.

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube Three appeal videos, not one view on them. Three appeal videos yet nobody can actually tell me which videos or timestamps on my channel violate your policies yet I’m supposed to believe I got a proper review? My channel has never been misleading family content and never will be.

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

How it feels mispronouncing an African name as a Zimbabwean

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube has still falsely denied the appeals of me and many others for misleading family content despite our content not being made for children nor marketed towards them or consumed by them. (Audience is 80+% adult) Yet I’ve been assured my content is targetjng children and families even though no videos or timestamps can be pointed towards as doing so.

[Marshawn Lynch @MoneyLynch]

Nigga I love being BLACK!

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

You’re too pessimistic to look at the Silver lining here. The character has unique tools compared to Everyone Else

[KevinwithaK @KevinwithaK_]

Can't wait for the Wii Fit "uprising".

I've sat here long enough sipping Oolong and slurping Chunky Noodles to know that character isn't putting up Numbers.

[ugee @ugeeyoutube]

So YouTube legal team has replied to me.

And now they are claiming that my channel contains copyright infringement material, which is the reason for the removal from monetization.

WTF

At this point this feels like a circus. YouTube themselves dont know why they have demonetized me and I am stuck in this continuous loop of AI demonetization responses from YouTube.

The legal team literally replied 2 hrs later, clearly it was not a real review of my channel. And even then, they didnt even bother to check the real reason behind my channel demonetization.

@TeamYouTube My channel does not contain any "copyright infringement" material

My channel also does not contain "misleading content" material.

I dont understand why you are so insistent on keeping my channel demonetized.

Reinstate me my monetization, my channel did not violate any of your policies. Please send a human reviewer to examine the channel so you can see it for yourself.

My channel: https://t.co/hsnxtnptFn

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

I want to thank Drew Daniels for his amazing video covering how @TeamYouTube has mishandled the cases of so many YouTubers and falsely demonetized them for misleading family content: https://t.co/uYFnnq2F7a

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@TeamYouTube even your own AI is able to recognize that my content isn’t and has never been aimed at children and has explicitly been labeled not for kids

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

@master_pivot @pandymonster @ugeeyoutube @TeamYouTube TierlistMan39
Misleading family content
Demonetized for over 25 days
https://t.co/GMA7WwX5Cf

[TierlistMan39 @TierlistMan39]

Everyone here is messy, they’re all terrible friends, and they all have horrendous communication skills.

Get me season 2 immediately

[Darrnell Bradley @DarrnellBradley]

Even if you've gotten remonetized!