YouTube is intensifying its efforts to combat misleading content, especially in India. In a recent move, the platform announced it will target videos that use deceptive titles and thumbnails, often referred to as "egregious clickbait." This initiative is part of YouTube's ongoing mission to provide a trustworthy and reliable experience for its users, particularly when it comes to news and current events.

What is "Egregious Clickbait"?

YouTube is cracking down on videos where the title or thumbnail is misleading about the content of the video. For instance, a video titled "The President Has Resigned!" would be attention-grabbing, but if the video doesn't cover resignation, it would be termed clickbait. Similarly, a thumbnail promising "Top Political News" but containing no actual news would also be flagged. Clickbait has frustrated viewers for far too long, making them waste time with videos that promise more but fail to deliver. For the most part, trust in the platform erodes with such activity.

Things become even worse in cases involving breaking news or current events as users look to YouTube for timeliness and accuracy in what they find.

This is also a challenge to creators

The content guidelines will now be enforced strictly. YouTube will be deleting videos violating the new policy but without striking their channels so that creators get time to adjust. The company has been planning this phase in such a way that the creators are made aware of the updated rules and that they can get used to their content as well. 

As India sees a high volume of news content uploaded, YouTube is focusing on this region to ensure that viewers aren't misled by sensational or dishonest titles.

What does this mean for older content?

Initially, YouTube will target new videos violating the updated policy first, while older ones will not be affected directly. However, creators are expected to check their old videos and edit them where necessary to avoid further complications.

How is YouTube assisting creators in adapting?

To help creators, YouTube will provide educational content that explains what constitutes "egregious clickbait" and how creators will remain compliant with the updated policies. This will mean that titles and thumbnails of videos will be in consonance with the content being presented, thus enhancing the entire user experience.

Why India? 

With the growing number of YouTube users in India and the vast amount of news-related content being uploaded, the platform is taking this step to ensure viewers aren't misled by attention-grabbing titles. YouTube hopes that this new policy will help improve the trust and reliability of the platform, especially when it comes to current events.

For YouTube users, this is a welcome move. The frustration of clicking on a misleading video is something many know all too well. With these new rules in place, YouTube aims to provide a better viewing experience, where viewers can trust the videos they click on to deliver what is promised.