(Sascha Steinbach/European Pressphoto Agency/EFE)Several major companies suspended their advertising campaigns on YouTube on Friday after learning their ads were displayed on videos that appeared to sexualize children. In distancing themselves from YouTube, the companies cited the video platform’s seeming inability to police its content so their ads don’t appear in offensive videos. While some of the videos appeared to be uploaded by the children themselves, the comments sections were filled with sexual remarks — including statements encouraging the children to perform sexual acts on camera. But policing content and ensuring that advertising doesn’t run with offensive clips has been a long-running problem for the video platform. YouTube also issued a statement in June, when Britain’s major political parties pulled their commercials from YouTube after they appeared with videos that promoted “extremist ideology,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Source: Washington Post November 27, 2017 10:02 UTC