YouTube has updated the Hateful and Derogatory section of its Advertiser-friendly content guidelines to reflect that content critiquing ideologies or beliefs may be eligible to earn revenue, AuditSocials' Policy Tracker shows.
The update keeps one limit in place. Hate or harassment towards individuals or protected groups remains ineligible for ad revenue, according to the new wording on YouTube's official Ad Guideline Updates page.
As of November 14, 2026, the Hateful & derogatory section of YouTube's main Advertiser-friendly content guidelines page still listed "portraying ideologies or beliefs in a malicious way by generalizing or disparaging" among content that receives no ad earnings. The same section lists "criticizing an individual's or group's opinion, views, or actions without any incendiary or demeaning intent" as content that can earn ad revenue. The update log entry does not say whether either line changes.
The change is dated November 2026 in YouTube's update log. The log entry does not give an exact effective day. AuditSocials detected the change and published it on November 14, 2026, and rated its severity as medium.
The change applies to monetized YouTube videos. Before monetizing videos that critique ideologies or beliefs, creators should check the Hateful and Derogatory section of YouTube's Advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
AuditSocials recorded an earlier change to the same guidelines in October 2026, when YouTube's update log said that certain content of public interest "will be eligible to earn ad revenue."
