YouTube Responds to YouTuber Logan Paul's 'Suicide Forest' Video

YouTube seems to have responded to the scandal involving YouTuber Logan Paul who uploaded a video of a dead body to a channel followed by millions of subscribers this past weekend.

The company's 'safety team', which is responsible for monitoring content which violates YouTube's terms of use, apparently issued the statement to YouTuber Philip DeFranco, one of the vlogger community's go-to sources for news.

In its statement, YouTube gave its sympathies to the family of the person featured in the video and confirmed that content of the sort Paul uploaded is prohibited on the site.

"Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video," YouTube's statement reads. "YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner.

"If a video is graphic, it can only remain on the site when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information and in some cases it will be age-gated.

"We partner with safety groups such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to provide educational resources that are incorporated in our YouTube Safety Center."

The apparent statement has been met with criticism from Twitter users who criticised it for not saying very much at all, including DeFranco himself.

Others focused on YouTube's decision to age restrict the video rather than delete it, accusing the site of not caring and calling Paul a 'cash cow'.

"i guess i'm just dumb as hell because this didn't seem to say anything at all," one user said.

"Yaaa. It's a big wordy non answer imo," DeFranco replied.

"So basically "We took it down, that's good enough right?" added another.

"But they didn't, Logan did," someone else replied. "All they did was age restrict it. They don't care cause he's a cash cow for them. Profits first".

Paul's video, uploaded on 31 December and since removed by Paul, appears to show the body of someone who has killed themselves in a Japanese forest notorious for its being the scene of suicides and attempted suicides.

The video shows Paul and his friends touring Japan's Aokigahara forest, nicknamed the 'Suicide Forest', before the group encounter the body of the man.

Paul's decision to show the body in the video has rightly been the subject of strong condemnation from YouTubers and people on other social media.

Earlier today Paul apologised for the video, saying that he aimed to raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention rather than glorify the suicide or disrespect the man's family.

Paul has now posted a second apology in video form on Twitter, saying he is 'so sorry' for the incident.

However, people are understandably still fucking angry with Paul for the incident:

The video received over half a million views before it was taken down by Paul.

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