• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechYouTube

YouTube Hints at ‘Further Consequences’ for Logan Paul After Controversial Suicide Video

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 9, 2018, 8:03 PM ET

YouTube responded to a controversial video uploaded by video blogger Logan Paul of an apparent suicide victim last week, saying that it’s taking steps “to ensure a video like this is never circulated again.”

The response comes after the popular YouTube star apologized for and removed a video of himself and his friends taken in Japan’s notorious Aokigahara forest, which is known as a magnet for suicides.

Although Paul initially said the video was intended to raise awareness about suicide, critics slammed him for seemingly making light of a serious situation. At the time, YouTube issued a short statement saying that it “prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner,” but it did not say whether it would take any action against Paul or if it would delete his account.

In Tuesday’s statement, YouTube elaborated by saying it is “looking at further consequences” against Paul, although it didn’t specify what those would be or why it has waited a week to react beyond the original short statement. It acknowledged that it failed to communicate quickly enough with users about the incident, saying: “Many of you have been frustrated with our lack of communication recently. You’re right to be.”

An open letter to our community:

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 (@YouTube) January 9, 2018

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

YouTube also expressed shock at the video and added that “suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views.”

Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week.

— YouTube (@YouTube) January 9, 2018

 

Suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views. 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."

— YouTube (@YouTube) January 9, 2018

We expect more of the creators who build their community on @YouTube, as we’re sure you do too. The channel violated our community guidelines, we acted accordingly, and we are looking at further consequences.

— YouTube (@YouTube) January 9, 2018

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.

— YouTube (@YouTube) January 9, 2018

Paul, who has over 15 million YouTube followers, has not uploaded a video to YouTube since last week when he apologized in a separate video.

YouTube has faced criticism that it fails to properly screen its service for inappropriate content. In November, several big-name advertisers like Adidas and candymaker Mars said they would suspend advertising on YouTube because their online ads sometimes appeared next to videos that appeared to exploit children.

The streaming service has been trying to crack down on inappropriate content by hiring more human reviewers and using technology to automate the process of flagging offensive videos.

“Now, we are applying the lessons we’ve learned from our work fighting violent extremism content over the last year in order to tackle other problematic content,” wrote YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki in a blog post in December. “Our goal is to stay one step ahead of bad actors, making it harder for policy-violating content to surface or remain on YouTube.”

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Europe
Denmark offered to trade Greenland to the U.S. in 1910—and America thought it was crazy
By Steven Lamy and The ConversationJanuary 22, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Sweden abolished its wealth tax 20 years ago. Then it became a 'paradise for the super-rich'
By Miranda Sheild Johansson and The ConversationJanuary 22, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Gates Foundation plans to give away $9 billion in 2026 to prepare for the 2045 closure while slashing hundreds of jobs
By Sydney LakeJanuary 23, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
'Some form of crisis is almost inevitable': The $38 trillion national debt will soon be growing faster than the U.S. economy itself, watchdog warns
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 22, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
Elon Musk warns the U.S. could soon be producing more chips than we can turn on. And China doesn’t have the same issue
By Sasha RogelbergJanuary 22, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
McDonald’s CEO shares tough love career advice he’d give Gen Z and young millennial workers: ‘No one cares about your career’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJanuary 22, 2026
2 days ago

Latest in Tech

Jake Miller, CEO of Fellow.
SuccessEntrepreneurs
This millennial founder got rejected 73 times before building a 9-figure coffee company. One more no, ‘I would have figured out how to sell a kidney’
By Preston ForeJanuary 24, 2026
4 hours ago
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Menlo Park, California on Sept. 17, 2025. (Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
AIData centers
Why Meta is positioning itself as an AI infrastructure giant—and doubling down on a costly new path
By Sharon GoldmanJanuary 24, 2026
5 hours ago
IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva speaks to reporters outside during the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
LawEconomics
AI productivity gains are making the rich richer, and they’ll wipe out jobs—but the IMF chief sees a silver lining for low-wage workers
By Tristan BoveJanuary 24, 2026
5 hours ago
Dario Amodei looking up
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s head of Claude Code on how the tool won over non-coders—and kickstarted a new era for software engineers
By Beatrice NolanJanuary 24, 2026
7 hours ago
C-SuiteSocial Media
Meet TikTok’s new U.S. CEO: Adam Presser, a Harvard business and law grad with an affinity for Chinese movies
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 24, 2026
8 hours ago
RetailWeather and forecasting
How Walmart is using AI to reroute essential supplies ahead of Winter Storm Fern
By Alex Vuocolo and Retail BrewJanuary 23, 2026
20 hours ago