Potential reasons why YouTube deletes user comments

If you’ve ever left a comment on YouTube, only to have it vanish mysteriously, you’re not alone. Many users are frustrated with comments disappearing for no clear reason. YouTube has a variety of moderation tools in place, some of which work behind the scenes to remove comments that may violate guidelines. But sometimes, even comments that seem innocent end up deleted. Here’s a closer look at why this might happen, based on YouTube’s guidelines and feedback from users and creators.

Automatic moderation by YouTube’s system

YouTube relies on an automated system to filter comments, which can sometimes be overzealous. This system scans for anything that might go against YouTube’s Community Guidelines, including:

• Offensive language: If your comment includes certain flagged words or phrases, it may be removed immediately.
• Spam-like behavior: Comments with excessive links, emojis, or repeated text might trigger YouTube’s spam filters. Posting the same comment multiple times or too many comments in a short time frame can also get your comments flagged as spam.
• Sensitive topics or flagged words: YouTube’s system may also remove comments that contain certain terms, even if they’re not offensive in context.

If your comment was caught by the automated filter, it might disappear without any notification. In some cases, you may receive a message saying commenting is paused, but often, there’s no alert. This is one of the main reasons why comments are removed from YouTube. According to data shared by Statista, 80.8% of comments removed from YouTube are due to “Spam, misleading, and scams.”

Channel-specific moderation settings

Apart from YouTube’s automatic moderation, each channel can set its own rules. Channel owners have the option to:

• Hold comments for review: This is often used to filter out potentially inappropriate comments. If your comment is held, the channel owner or moderator must manually approve it.
• Block specific words or phrases: Channels can create lists of words or phrases they don’t want to appear in their comment sections. If your comment contains one of these blocked words, it won’t show up.
• Remove comments: Channel owners have the power to remove any comment they find unsuitable for their content or community.

Channels also have a “Top comments” sorting mode, which prioritizes comments based on engagement, user reputation, and relevance. If you can’t find your comment under “Top comments,” try sorting by “Newest first” – sometimes, it will appear there. If you’re new to YouTube, you can check out everything to know about managing comments here.

Issues with usernames and profile pictures

Some users have noticed that even their non-offensive comments get removed if they have certain words in their usernames. YouTube may flag usernames with swear words, political references, or other sensitive terms. For example, some users reported that after changing their usernames from something potentially offensive, their comments reappeared.

If you suspect your username might be the issue, try changing it to something neutral. This seems to help in many cases, as it reduces the likelihood of being flagged by YouTube’s system or reported by other users.

Reports from other users

YouTube allows users to report comments they find inappropriate. If enough people report your comment, or if YouTube’s system detects that it aligns with common report patterns (such as hate speech or misinformation), it could be removed.

However, this system isn’t perfect. Sometimes, trolls abuse the reporting feature to remove comments they disagree with. If your comment was respectful but sparked some debate, it might get flagged by users who don’t like your perspective, even if it didn’t violate any guidelines. I’ve had this happen twice on my account too.

YouTube’s transparency issues with ‘Ghost Comments’

Many creators and commenters have raised concerns about “ghost comments.” These are comments that never appear, even though they don’t violate guidelines. Some creators, like Techlore, have noticed this problem on their channels. Commenters post, but the comments disappear within seconds without any record in YouTube Studio’s “held for review” section. Even for approved commenters, sometimes their comments simply vanish.

Ghost comments are puzzling because there’s no clear reason why they’re removed. Creators have little control over this issue since they can’t see or review comments that disappear this way. YouTube hasn’t offered a clear solution, leaving both creators and commenters in the dark. The problem here is that this doesn’t even seem to be happening to only a handful of people. A quick Google Search will show dozens of complaints about the phenomena on platforms like Reddit and even the company’s own support forums. A thread from early this year discussing the topic has garnered over a thousand votes from people who also claim to have the same problem.

Overuse of moderation tools

YouTube’s moderation tools are extensive, and while they aim to keep the community respectful, they can sometimes backfire. In an attempt to block spam and abusive content, these filters might catch harmless comments, creating a frustrating experience for users.

Creators have options to adjust these filters, but many are cautious about making them too lenient, as they may then deal with a flood of spam or inappropriate comments. YouTube’s “increased strictness” setting, for instance, holds more comments for review, but this might also prevent perfectly fine comments from appearing in the thread.

What you can do if your comments keep disappearing

If you’re tired of your comments vanishing, here are some steps you can try:

• Use neutral language: Avoid using terms or phrases that might be flagged as inappropriate or sensitive. This includes avoiding excessive emojis and special characters.
• Check your username: If your username has any potentially offensive or controversial language, consider changing it. Many users report that this change improves their commenting experience.
• Engage thoughtfully: If you’re leaving a long or detailed comment, try splitting it into smaller chunks. Some users find that breaking up long comments can prevent certain parts from getting flagged.
• Don’t add links: Creators have an option to remove comments with links, to avoid spam. Since most creators have this filter enabled, if you post comments with links, it’s more than likely that your comment will be removed immediately.
• Contact YouTube support: While results are mixed, some users find success after reaching out to YouTube support. Keep in mind that responses might be generic, and it may take several attempts to get a useful response.

Tips for creators to moderate comments

If you’re a creator experiencing similar issues, consider these approaches:

• Regularly review ‘Held for Review’ comments: This ensures you can catch any comments that may have been falsely flagged by YouTube’s filters.
• Disable excessive strictness: Test different moderation settings to find a balance that keeps spam out without overly filtering genuine comments.
• Communicate with viewers: Let your audience know if there’s a moderation issue so they understand why their comments may not appear. If you’re transparent about the problem, it’ll remove any suspicion your audience might have about you manually cherry-picking comments.

Final thoughts

Look, in most cases, YouTube works as expected and combats spam comments quite effectively. A few years ago, the comments section on the platform was a nightmare. However, with its new moderation tools and stricter moderation, you are less likely to encounter spam. But that doesn’t mean that the system is flawless. If you clicked on this article, I’m assuming you already had a fair idea about why comments get removed in general. Sadly, as for comments that vanish for no good reason, there’s no official explanation. All we can do is speculate the possibilities and hope for improvement in YouTube’s moderation systems.