YouTube responds to Logan Paul controversy

Carl Welch
01:37, Jan 3, 2018
Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. This material can't be published, transferred, copied or redistributed.
Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. This material can't be published, transferred, copied or redistributed.

By Monday, the news of the video had spread beyond Paul's core audience of teens and tweens, and several people called him out on social media, sharing concerns about the impression the video made on his young audience.

"This is the most real vlog I've ever posted to this channel", Paul says.

"He is the male version of a Kardashian on YouTube", according to Polygon culture writer Julia Alexander.

The 22-year-old from OH, who is the older brother of former Disney star Jake Paul, added he "didn't do it for views" saying: "I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity".

The backlash over the Japan forest video came quickly. The site is famous as a suicide spot.

In the video titled "We Found a Dead Body in Japan's Suicide Forest", Paul and his entourage stumble upon a body hanging in Japan's Aokigahara Forest, at the base of Mount Fuji.

He seems aware that the site is sometimes chosen for suicides, but is surprised to come across what appears to be a body hanging from a tree. Later in the video, Paul is seen laughing.

The video, uploaded on 31 December, garnered millions of views and well over 500,000 "likes" before it was taken down.


"At first, I couldn't believe it". Let's start with this - I'm sorry.

The statement was widely criticised for having a self-promotional, rather than apologetic tone. "I am just here to apologise". In the posted video, the face of the person who appeared to have taken his or her own life is blurred. Some reports include people traveling from around the world either to attempt killing themselves or to go ghost hunting, which is what Paul insists he was doing with his camera rolling. "Hopefully this latest video woke them up".

What do you think of Logan Paul's YouTube blunder? "He'll only continue to grow" in popularity, she said. You're not raising awareness.

"Depression and mental illnesses is not a joke", he says. "They don't realize how sensationalized and how insensitive he is by portraying the body of a man who looks like he has recently committed suicide".

US YouTube star Logan Paul is facing calls from angry parents and celebrities to be banned from the platform after posting a video featuring the body of an apparent suicide victim.

The statement added that YouTube prohibits "violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner" and that such content is allowed only "when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information". Accounts are suspended if they have three strikes within three months.

After apologizing to the victim and his family, he launched into a bit of self-reflection that, while doubtless well-rehearsed, also sounded like the musings of someone who is genuinely troubled that he had somehow failed to foresee that this, of all the dumb things he already does, would prove to be such a colossal mistake.

With files from the Associated Press. "At the end of the day, the problematic creators are the ones generating income and revenue for the company".

Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. This material can't be published, transferred, copied or redistributed.


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