The Data: YouTube Termination Crisis
Real-time statistics from creator submissions combined with industry research
The Scale of the Problem
YouTube's AI moderation systems are terminating channels at an unprecedented rate. According to YouTube's own transparency reports, the platform terminated 12.46 million channels in the first nine months of 2025 alone.
The quarterly breakdown reveals an alarming acceleration:
- Q1 2025: 2,897,659 channels removed
- Q2 2025: 2,105,778 channels removed
- Q3 2025: 7,456,811 channels removed
For context, Q4 2023 alone saw 20.5 million terminations. With over 115 million YouTube channels in existence, approximately 10% of all channels have faced termination in recent years.
Sources: Dexerto, Creator Handbook
Jan-Sep 2025
Termination Reasons Reported
What Creators Are Reporting
Creator Purge has collected 1 termination stories from affected creators, representing 100,000,000 subscribers collectively lost.
The most common termination reasons cited by YouTube include "spam, deceptive practices and scams" - a broad category that many creators dispute. Multiple accounts describe sudden terminations without prior strikes or warnings.
One creator noted: "I never received a strike or warning, and when I sought clarification regarding the policy violation, I was informed that support personnel were prohibited from sharing the exact reason."
Data updates in real-time as new stories are submitted
The Appeal Process: A Broken System?
When YouTube terminates a channel, creators have one year to submit an appeal. However, the success rate appears discouragingly low. YouTube's own Trust & Safety team stated that "the vast majority of termination decisions were upheld" after reviewing hundreds of cases in November 2025.
Creators report receiving automated rejection notices within minutes of submitting appeals, raising questions about whether human reviewers actually examine each case.
A new pilot program launched October 2025 allows some terminated creators to request new channels after one year - but excludes those terminated for copyright or "Creator Responsibility" violations.
Sources: PPC.land, YouTube Blog
Appeal Outcomes
Prior Strikes Before Termination
Terminated Without Warning
YouTube's traditional "three strikes" policy suggests channels should receive warnings before termination. However, YouTube can bypass this system for what it deems "severe abuse" - a subjective determination often made by AI systems.
This creates a situation where creators can lose years of work overnight, with no opportunity to correct alleged violations they may not have even committed.
As one affected creator put it: "How can I learn from my mistakes if I'm never told what they are?"
The Financial Devastation
For monetized creators, termination doesn't just mean losing a platform - it means losing their livelihood. YouTube's Partner Program supports over 3 million monetized channels globally.
Of the creators who submitted stories to Creator Purge, 1 were actively monetized when their channels were terminated.
These creators report a combined $32,598 in pending AdSense revenue that they may never receive. When a channel is terminated, YouTube can withhold all unpaid earnings.
Legal recourse exists but is costly and rare. One creator, Oleksandr, won a court case requiring YouTube to restore his channel - but YouTube has yet to comply, leading him to state: "I legally defeated YouTube. How do they react? They're pretending it never happened."
How YouTube Responded
The Human Review Question
YouTube claims appeals receive human review, but creator experiences suggest otherwise. Many report receiving rejection notices within minutes - faster than any meaningful review could occur.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan defended AI moderation in December 2025, stating the technology improves "literally every week" and helps the platform "detect and enforce on violative content better, more precise, able to cope with scale."
Yet the scale of the problem - 7.45 million channels removed in Q3 2025 alone - suggests the "precision" claim deserves scrutiny.
Sources: Dexerto, Search Engine Journal
Life After YouTube
When creators lose their YouTube channels, many seek alternative platforms to continue reaching their audiences. Our data shows where terminated creators are finding new homes.
The rise of platforms like Rumble, Odysee, and Kick reflects growing creator frustration with YouTube's moderation policies. However, rebuilding an audience from scratch represents months or years of lost progress.
Some creators maintain presence on multiple platforms as insurance against future terminations - a strategy that wouldn't be necessary if moderation systems were more accurate and transparent.
Alternative Platforms Used
Reported Terminations by Year
Your Story Matters
Every submission helps build a clearer picture of YouTube's moderation failures. If you've experienced a wrongful termination, share your story to help document this ongoing crisis.