A week after internet star Logan Paul shared caused a social media firestorm by apparently showing a suicide victim in a video, YouTube released a statement that said the company was “upset” by the content of Paul’s post.
“Many of you have been frustrated with our lack of communication recently. You’re right to be. You deserve to know what’s going on,” YouTube said in a series of tweets on Tuesday. “Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week. Suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views.”
“The channel violated our community guidelines, we acted accordingly, and we are looking at further consequences,” YouTube added. “It’s taken us a long time to respond, but we’ve been listening to everything you’ve been saying. We know that the actions of one creator can affect the entire community, so we’ll have more to share soon on steps we’re taking to ensure a video like this is never circulated again.”
The video from Japan’s so-called “suicide forest,” Aokigahara, was removed hours after it was posted. Paul’s account, however, has not been taken down or suspended. Paul apologized for the video as controversy grew, calling it a “severe and continuous lapse in my judgment,” and tweeted on Jan. 3 that he was “taking time to reflect.”
YouTube’s Tuesday statement also referenced one of many stars who shared their disapproval of Paul’s video — fellow YouTube sensation Anna Akana. “As Anna Akana put it perfectly: ‘That body was a person someone loved. You do not walk into a suicide forest with a camera and claim mental health awareness.'”
“It’s taken us a long time to respond, but we’ve been listening to everything you’ve been saying,” the statement concluded. “We know that the actions of one creator can affect the entire community, so we’ll have more to share soon on steps we’re taking to ensure a video like this is never circulated again.”
