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YouTube finally responds to the uproar over Logan Paul's video of a dead body: 'Suicide is not a joke'

logan paul
Logan Paul has taken a break from YouTube after posting his "Suicide Forest" video. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

  • Logan Paul has faced backlash since uploading a video to YouTube that featured a man's body hanging from a tree.
  • YouTube released a statement regarding the video on Tuesday, saying Paul's "channel violated our community guidelines."
  • The statement also said YouTube was "looking at further consequences" for Paul.
  • More than 400,000 people have signed a petition requesting Paul to be barred from YouTube.
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YouTube has finally released a statement to the public regarding Logan Paul's video showing a dead body.

Early last week, Paul uploaded a video showing the body of a man hanging from a tree in Japan's Aokigahara forest, often called the "Suicide Forest" because people are known to have killed themselves there. Paul eventually removed the video, apologized, and said he was taking a break from vlogging.

More than 400,000 people have signed a Change.org petition asking YouTube to remove Paul's channel. As of this article's publishing, Paul has approximately 15.6 million subscribers on YouTube.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, YouTube made a public statement about Paul's video and the response from people around the world.

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Here is YouTube's statement in full:

"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.

"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.

"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.'

"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.

"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 actress and comedian Anna Akana sent what has become a viral tweet to Paul about her family's experience with suicide.

"Dear @LoganPaul, When my brother found my sister's body, he screamed with horror & confusion & grief & tried to save her," Akana wrote. "That body was a person someone loved. You do not walk into a suicide forest with a camera and claim mental health awareness."

The new statement from YouTube is the first time the site has said Paul's video violated its community guidelines. On January 2, two days after Paul first posted the video — and a day after he removed it — Polygon reported on a statement that YouTube had provided to another of its creators:

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"Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video. 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 updated statement from YouTube says the company "acted accordingly" when Paul uploaded the video, though it does not explicitly say it removed the video. According to Polygon's report, it's still unclear whether Paul was sanctioned by YouTube to take down the video or whether he removed it on his own.

Representatives for Paul didn't immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment.

If you are having feelings of depression or thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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