Logan Paul/YouTubeLogan Paul has finally been handed down punishment, one week after uploading a video to YouTube of the aftermath of suicide.
The 22-year-old YouTube ‘prankster’ shocked the masses when he travelled to Japan’s so-called Suicide Forest and filmed a man hanging from a tree.
He later edited the video and chose to include his own reactions in the clip in a disrespectful and distasteful display of ignorance, masquerading as a mission to raise suicide prevention awareness.
Logan Paul/YoutubeHis army of fans, otherwise known as the ‘Logang’ aside, most of us agreed Paul ought to be punished for his irresponsible actions.
YouTube released an official statement in the immediate aftermath, saying:
Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video.
Logan Paul/YouTubeThe video streaming site which made this young man millions explained:
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.
I just received an official statement from a contact at @Youtube regarding the outrage and controversy around Logan Paul’s (now self-removed) “We found a dead body” top trending Youtube video.
I’ll save my personal comment for later. Just wanted to pass this along. pic.twitter.com/JNTQDMVvT4
— Philip DeVeryStableGenius (@PhillyD) January 2, 2018
Now, after more than a week of deliberation, the site has settled upon an appropriate punishment for Logan Paul, which will see the so-called prankster removed from Google’s lucrative Preferred Ads program.
YouTube has also cancelled his YouTube Red movie The Thinning: New World Order, which was the sequel to his 2016 movie The Thinning.
A YouTube spokesperson told Polygon:
In light of recent events, we have decided to remove Logan Paul’s channels from Google Preferred. Additionally, we will not feature Logan in season 4 of Foursome and his new Originals are on hold.
Logan Paul/YouTubeLogan earlier issued a written apology on his Twitter, which reads:
Dear Internet, where do I begin. Let’s start with this – I’m sorry. This is a first for me. I’ve never faced criticism like this before, because I’ve never made a mistake like this before. I’m surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I’m still a human being. I can be wrong.
I didn’t do it for views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That’s never the intention.
I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought ‘if this video saves just one life it’ll be worth it’, I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video.
Logan Paul/YouTubeHe continued:
I do this sh*t everyday. I’ve made a 15 minute TV show EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 460+ days. One may understand that it’s easy to get caught up in the moment without assessing the possible ramifications.
I’m often reminded of how big of a reach I truly have & with great power comes great responsibility… for the first time in my life. I’m regretful to say I handled that power incorrectly. It won’t happen again.
So sorry. pic.twitter.com/JkYXzYsrLX
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 2, 2018
Even controversial YouTuber PewDiePie wasn’t buying the apology, branding Paul a ‘straight up sociopath’, according to The Sun
With huge global followings, particularly among young people, it’s about time YouTube pranksters like Paul started taking responsibility for their content and being punished appropriately when they mess up.
More importantly, Paul cannot go unpunished for trying to monetise suicide.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.