YouTube is updating its recommendation system to further prioritize original Shorts and reduce the reach of channels that mainly aggregate or re-upload other creators’ clips without significant changes.
YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie announced the change in a video published Oct. 1 on YouTube’s Creator Insider channel.
What Ritchie Says Doesn’t Count As Original
Ritchie said creators who remix another creator’s clip need to add value of their own, “not just VO descriptions of what’s happening on screen, minor technical edits, or template-based bulk changes.” He told creators to bring their own commentary, analysis, and storytelling instead. For creators who want to put another creator’s video in front of their audience, he pointed them to their channel’s Posts tab, so viewers watch the original upload.
How This Fits With YouTube’s Monetization Rules
YouTube already has rules on borrowed content for channels that want to earn money. Its channel monetization policies say, “If you borrow content from someone else, you need to change it significantly to make it your own.”
The Oct. 1 video is about recommendations and doesn’t mention monetization.
When YouTube updated its monetization policies in July 2025, Ritchie said there were no changes to the reused content rules for clips, compilations, and reaction content. I covered that clarification at the time.
How Instagram And Facebook Handle Aggregators
Instagram and Facebook already limit the reach of accounts built mainly on reposted content.
Instagram said in April that accounts that “primarily re-upload others’ work” in photos and carousels would no longer be eligible for recommendations, a rule it first applied to reels in 2024. An account can become eligible again when most of its recent photos, carousels, and reels are considered original over a rolling 30-day period. Creators can check their standing and appeal from the Account Status section of their settings.
Facebook announced in July 2025 that accounts that keep reposting other creators’ work without permission or meaningful changes would lose access to its monetization programs for a period of time and get less distribution on everything they share.
Why This Matters
A channel built mainly on other creators’ clips without significant changes could already lose monetization under YouTube’s reused content rules. With the Oct. 1 Shorts update, it can also get less reach.
Teams running Shorts built on other creators’ clips can check whether their edits go further than narrating the footage, small technical tweaks, or templated bulk changes. YouTube’s video doesn’t discuss creators cutting Shorts from their own long-form videos.
Looking Ahead
Ritchie said in YouTube’s Oct. 1 video:
“If your channel was previously aggregating or re-uploading and you shift towards original content, the recommendation system will re-evaluate reach.”
The video doesn’t give a start date for the update, say how long a re-evaluation takes, or show where a channel can check whether its reach was reduced. He asked creators to share questions in the video’s comments.
Featured Image: Stockinq/Shutterstock
