Following the backlash surrounding internet personality Logan Paul’s recent controversial video, YouTube said they “were upset” by the post and that "suicide is not a joke.”
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, YouTube acknowledged their silence on the video post, adding that their users “deserve to know what’s going on.”
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YouTube
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@YouTube
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
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@YouTube
Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week.
3:20 AM - Jan 10, 2018
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“Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week,” the company said on Twitter. "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 STAR LOGAN PAUL APOLOGIZES FOR SHARING VIDEO OF DEAD BODY HANGING IN JAPANESE ‘SUICIDE FOREST’
On Dec. 31, the YouTube star shared a video of himself and friends going through a forest in Japan that is reportedly known as a suicide spot. The now-deleted video titled “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest” reportedly appeared to show a hanging body.
In the following days, Paul apologized twice for the video’s content, saying he “intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention” and he was “ashamed” of himself. He later said he was temporarily suspending his “vlog” because he was “taking time to reflect.”
YOUTUBE STAR LOGAN PAUL TELLS FANS HE’S ‘TAKING TIME TO REFLECT’ FOLLOWING CONTROVERSIAL VIDEO UPROAR
In YouTube’s “open letter” on Twitter, they went on to say that they “expect more” from those who post videos and that Paul’s channel was in violation of the site’s community guidelines.
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YouTube
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@YouTube
Replying to @YouTube
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
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@YouTube
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.
3:20 AM - Jan 10, 2018
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“It’s taken us a long time to respond, but we’ve been listening to everything you’ve been saying,” YouTube’s tweet said. “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.”
Fox News’ Sasha Savitsky and The Associated Press contributed to this report