YouTube creators who publish content specifically for children have already suffered a blow from the 

 the platform rolled out in November 2019. Now those same creators face new restrictions from potential legislation aimed at further limiting the reach of the type of content that can be published on the platform.

The Kid’s Internet Design and Safety (KIDS) Act, has been proposed by United States senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal, with the intent to further protect children aged 16 and under who consume online video on social media sites like YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and others.

The KIDS Act: How it May Could Children-Focused Video Creation

If the bill is approved, it would mean new laws would come into force for social media platforms to protect children and young teens. Those sites would need to fundamentally change the way they both deliver, and promote video content to children.

Under the new law, auto-play videos, recommendations, and push notifications would have to be turned off for any content that is made for kids.

Senator Ed Markey was the co-author of the COPPA Act but wants to extend the protection afforded to children with further legislation. In a 

"Today, kids’ faces are increasingly covered in the glow of their screens, and it’s time to face the chilling reality that some websites and apps are built in ways that harm children. Powerful companies push kids to buy products at every turn online, and top platforms are saturated with disturbing content that no kid should ever be exposed to."

The KIDS Act wants to push through the following restrictions designed to protect children:

The ban on ‘auto-playing’ videos - a feature that has the potential to reel children and young teenagers into spending an unhealthy amount of time online

The suppression of push alerts and badges that may encourage children to extend the time they spend on their mobile devices

The bill limits sites from promoting inappropriate, violent, or dangerous content, and will require those sites to set up a feedback system for reporting that content

Banning sites from pushing content around influencer marketing or marketing that includes “embedded interactive elements”

Stopping websites for promoting alcohol or nicotine products to those aged under 16 years of age

One of the stand-out restrictions in the proposed bill calls out unboxing videos in particular. As one of the most popular trends on YouTube, this content has long encouraged the partnership between creators and brands or influencers.

Unboxing videos, like this one below from the SquirrelStampede YouTube channel, are often sponsored, thereby exposing children to a certain toy or confectionery brand under the guise of entertainment.

The KIDS Act isn’t proposing the banning of unboxing videos - because good luck with that - but would prohibit platforms like YouTube from recommending this content to children. It would also make it illegal for social media platforms to recommend any sponsored content to children, impacting an already fragile eco-system, and further limiting the exposure unboxing creators would get on the platform.

The KIDS Act would also make it illegal for platforms to recommend literally any kind of branded or sponsored content to users under the age of 16.

The after effects of COPPA on YouTube creators who publish children’s content has been significant, and the KIDS Act has the very real potential of limiting their visibility to a critical extent. With restrictions on children’s content being recommended, the number of views and Watch Time a kid’s focused YouTube channel will be severely impacted.

We'll keep you up to date with any news on this issue.

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

And if you’re really serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the [vidIQ Academy]

Group of diverse kids playing video games together with YouTube logo in background

After the impact of COPPA, YouTube creators who publish content for children face new limitations from the proposed KIDS Act.

YouTube Children’s Content Creators Face New Woes from KIDS Act

I didn’t think I’d be writing this post 7 days ago. But here we are, being thrown headfirst into a world we don't really understand, with millions of people currently self-isolating, under quarantine, under a potential shelter-in-place mandate, or being asked to work from home by their company because of the current health crisis. It’s an extraordinary and challenging time.

, there has been a significant and understandable uptick in people in the US searching for content around ‘working from home’ or ‘remote working’ over the past week.

vidIQ is a fully remote global company. We don’t have a central office and every member of the company works from home. I asked some of the team for tips about what works for them when it comes to staying motivated and productive. I hope you find them useful.

25 Working From Home Tips from the vidIQ Team

If you’re sharing a house with a partner, come up with your own boundaries. For instance: "If I’m in my office, I’m working," or "between 9am and 3 pm I’m working". Also, I make sure to communicate that if I can't chat, it's not personal, it just takes a long time to shift gears from work to personal.

Be more flexible with your time. I always set myself a 45-minute work chunk where I may break off for 5 minutes to empty the bin, or empty the dishwasher - something physical versus sitting at my desk. Oh and get a comfortable chair.

Get a good pair of Bluetooth headphones. Dishing out a little extra pocket change is worth it for quality audio and blocking out the noises of home when you need to focus on work.

 It might seem obvious but carve out your own space somewhere at home so you can leave it at the end of the working day. If you don't, the lines between work and personal time may become so blurred you end up adding more stress to an already difficult situation.

Carla Marshall, Head of Content Marketing

Use Slack, Asana, Google Doc, Notion to stay on top of your work. Create healthy boundaries between work and home life.

 *Keep a to-do list handy and give yourself deadlines for when to get specific tasks done. If your company doesn't already have a task system, an easy one to get started with is Google Tasks. This can be accessed on your phone or in your email's inbox. Discord is also a great tool for keeping in touch with friends and/or work colleagues. *

Destinate space to work in that's purely for work and when you're in the space, let everyone know not to bother you. Sometimes the best space in a busy home is inside a closet. Do whatever you can to stay focused and limit your interruptions. Another tip, don't do ANY housework when you are working from home, it'll distract you and interrupt your flow. When you're working from home, you work, when you're done working, go to town and clean your toilet seats!

 *Schedule time to check-in with your teammates weekly, either individually or as a group. You will be checking in on work reasons already, but use this time to check in as people. Since you are not in an office, organic conversations won't just happen, and those are important to stay connected as a team. *

Set a reminder to stand up and move. Also, try not to sit in front of the computer right after getting out of bed or you can be glued to it until lunchtime. Lastly, try not to sleep in the same room/area you work in.

Working from home is like working from the office (minus the commute of course). Set your alarm, get dressed, head to the "office" and get into the workday as you normally would. It’s also critical to take breaks and get up and away from your computer - go outside for a bit of fresh air so your brain can get that refresh.

Liron Segev, Director of Customer Success

I don't strictly stick to a 9-5 schedule. I often have long lunches (partly because I need to take Jasper, my dog, for a walk), but I'll make that up and more by working later or starting earlier. When my commute involves 5 steps, I am happy to work when I am motivated, fresh and buzzing with ideas whatever time of day it is.

 *I won’t move my laptop from my desk. I noticed when I would work from my bed or couch, it was easy to get distracted. I know when I am at my desk it is work time. It can be difficult to push yourself to get ready for the day when working remote. However, I tell myself "no coffee" until I shower and get dressed and that motivates me because I cannot do without coffee. Plus the shower helps wake me up. *

 *If you are new to working from home, try to set up a routine that "switches" you from non-working mode to working mode. It might be wearing a more formal set of clothes, leaving the apartment for a brief walk (to simulate "going to the office"), or something like that. This will help you re-orient your brain and help you get into the working mood; when the work is done, it will help you wind down and stop being "at work" to prevent yourself from never giving yourself a rest. *

 *Recognize that the danger of working at home is that you overwork which then affects family time. Setting an end-of-day time and sticking to it will help. With freedom comes responsibility - deliver your work to the same quality as your would if you were in the office and perhaps when all this becomes a distant memory, remote working could be a permanent way of working *

One of the biggest struggles about working from home is timing and focus, for that I recommend to follow a shift and try to separate things at home. Avoid working from your bed, for example. :)

Frederico Soares da Silva, Senior Front End Engineer

I always ensure I have great coffee brewing throughout the day in addition to putting specific holds in my calendar so that I can get some fresh air and walk. I try and have lunch at a restaurant to engage with people if I'm not working at a co-working spot. I also might ask a colleague to hop on a Zoom call to chat and have a real-time connection if there is a topic that might benefit from that instead of Slack or email!

__Liza Frank, Executive Assistant to CoFounder, CEO __

 *Try to set up your workspace so it catches the sun. Also, keep it free from clutter. *

Pavel Sinev, Customer Experience Specialist

 *Use Pomodoro to balance out your work/rest. Make a TODO list at the beginning of the day. *

Have a work area that is only for work and nothing else

Try choosing a dedicated workspace that is separated from your free time activities – we have a home office I use to get work done. This limits distractions and allows you to focus on your daily tasks!

Have a separate space where you can close the door and get away from noise (especially if you have kids). The secondary benefit of a separate space is mental separation so that when you aren't in that space but at home, you can be present with your family/friends and not be in work mode.

 *Start your day with your laptop fully charged, once your battery runs out, that's time to take care of yourself. Once you've taken care of yourself, charge your laptop back up. *

I tell my kids, "just because you see me doesn't mean I'm available." It's hard to balance work and Dad guilt, but it's a necessary art that must be mastered.

To help me get out of my PJs and make the bed on "self-work days" I make a to-do list. This makes me feel productive, especially if I can clear the to-do list by the end of the day. And yes "wake up, make the bed, make a brew and get dressed" are all viable tasks!

It's important to remember that different things work for different people. Don't beat yourself up if you're balancing working from home with limited space, limited technology, child care or any other challenges. You've got this.

Woman working on laptop at home office at night with light bulb idea icon above.

vidIQ has always been a fully remote company so we asked the team for their top tips for anyone new to working from home.

25 Tips To Get the Most Out of Working From Home

 which cover a multitude of sins video creators might break be it nudity, harmful, hateful, violent content, harassment and bullying, or spam. Creators can quickly find themselves in trouble if they cross the line on any of these topics.

There are many different Community Guidelines and also a number of places where creators can break them such as:

In the past, the punishment from YouTube differed depending on where the crime was committed. It might be that you lose livestream privileges or that you couldn't post videos for a certain length of time. The rules were somewhat chaotic, so YouTube have cleared up the confusion for creators and made it crystal clear what violates a Community Guideline (

 we’re covering Community Guidelines in the post and not copyright strikes which is a whole different topic and one we’ll be covering soon).

YouTube Community Guidelines February 2019

As of February 19th 2019, the new Community Guidelines are in place for all creators on the platform. YouTube are keen not to punish first time offenders who may not be up to speed with the rules, and as a result, all channels will receive a one-time warning the first time they post content that crosses the line with no penalties to their channel except for the removal of that content. The good news is that this one time warning applies to all channels so even if you do have an existing strike you still get this warning before further penalties. It doesn't matter where you break the Community Guideline whether it be on a thumbnail, video content, playlists, or via the comments - the penalty is always going to be the same.

 The second time you break Community Guidelines will be considered your first official strike. That will result in your content being removed as before. On top of this all your YouTube content posting privileges will be frozen for one week. This includes videos, live-streams, YouTube stories, and community posts. However, you’ll still be able to post comments. After a week you will get all of the posting features back but the strike remains on your account for 90 days in total.

 If you commit another Community Guideline violation within a 90 day period this is your second strike with the same penalties applied except that instead of a one week ban you get a two week ban on publishing content.

 If you fall foul of the Community Guidelines for a third time, YouTube isn’t here to play. Your channel will be terminated!

Obviously the termination of your channel is pretty drastic so YouTube have now promised to be more transparent about the guideline you violated so it doesn’t get to that stage. They will be more specific with information about that violation, communicate it to you through notifications and emails and via the Creative Studio. There will also be an appeals process in place as before.

We applaud all of the changes that YouTube are making here. I think that the first time warning is a fantastic idea because many video creators get terrified over making any strike at any point in their YouTube journey. I think a consistent penalty system makes it very clear to the user. It also eliminates the extremely harsh 90 day livestream penalty there used to be.

In effect, creators are getting an extra strike out of the new rules but you shouldn’t take advantage of that. After your first warning you shouldn't be making any further strikes on your YouTube channel.

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level then make sure to download vidIQ. It will help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

YouTube new rules announcement with surprised man pointing to red X icon thumbnail

YouTube have just made some sweeping changes to their Community Guidelines which affect every creator. Find out how you can stay on the right side of the new rules.

New Community Guidelines From YouTube: What Creators Need to Know Right Now

When you tell people you have a YouTube channel, one of the most common questions asked is, "Oh, how many subscribers do you have?" And the answer may be, none of your business!

When you are logged in to YouTube, you should see your channel logo in the top right-hand corner of most YouTube screens. If you click on that, 

you have the option to go to YouTube Studio.

 This is currently in beta, but will become the standard as 2019 progresses. This is your homepage, or dashboard, on the new creator studio, and in order to hide subscriber counts from the public, you click on the settings button in the bottom left-hand corner. Click on Channel >> Advanced where you’ll see a check box that says display the number of people subscribed to my channel.

Why Hide Your YouTube Subscriber Details to the Public?

So, that is how you hide your subscriber count. The burning question now is 

 The common opinion is that having a visible subscriber count can either add or take away value from your channel. A lot of video creators with smaller channels, say, less than a hundred subscribers, are worried that viewers will be immediately switched off from their content because they don't have a perceived audience watching their content already.

That may be a valid point. When you watch a video, and you see a channel with lots of subscribers, does that convince you more to subscribe to their channel than content from another video creator which is just as good, but has a tiny number of subscribers? But as subscriber counts are by default public, what kind of message does that send if a creator makes a conscious decision to hide them?

From a personal point of view, I've never been afraid of hiding my subscriber count, after all, every video creator starts at zero and ends up somewhere. And after a few years of making videos, and when you've built up your channel, you'll realize what a immaterial number that was when you were first starting out your channel. It's all part of a YouTube journey.

Red subscribe button with a green arrow pointing and bold text asking "WHY?" in black.

Want to hide your YouTube subscriber count? We show you how to (but also question why you would want to do that?).

How to Hide Your YouTube Subscriber Count [New Method!]

After setting up your YouTube channel and publishing your initial videos, it’s essential to leverage real‑time analytics and free optimization tools to pinpoint your strengths and identify opportunities for improvement. Now it's time to unleash your secret weapon.

 This post highlights vidIQ – the free Chrome extension designed to empower YouTube creators with intelligent tools and actionable data. So, if you haven't got it already, stop reading and download the free 

 to download it and install it on your computer. We know that you are just starting on your YouTube journey, so we're not trying to cash in on you as soon as possible. We want to give you that kickstart to help grow your channel and build an audience. Hey, it’s what we do.

Let’s start with some YouTube numbers. With the 

, you get a snapshot of how your individual videos are performing. But what if you could get an overview of how your entire channel is performing? Well, that's exactly what the vidIQ real-time stats bar can help you with! With vidIQ’s real‑time stats, you can effortlessly monitor key metrics over intervals such as the last 60 minutes, 48 hours, and seven days – including detailed watch time and subscriber counts – ensuring you stay on top of your channel’s performance.

Of course, you can access Channel stats via YouTube Analytics, but vidIQ’s real-time stats bar allows you to see the data whether you are on the search page, on a watch page, or on a YouTube home page. We always show you the real-time analytics, and for someone like me who's got an analytics obsessive compulsive disorder, I always want to check those numbers, and I can see them wherever I am on YouTube. It’s a much-loved feature on the vidIQ Chrome extension - and it’s 

. But we're not quite done there because if you like graphs as much as you like numbers, well, all you need to do is mouse over the real-time stats bar, and you get a breakdown of just how well your videos have been performing and your channel over the last seven days.

Also, for YouTube channels that haven’t yet reached the monetization requirements of 4,000 hours, we’ve also added an additional metric in the real-time stats bar, which tracks your Watch Time over the last 12 months. Once you've reached those requirements, this metric automatically disappears. So if you wanted this tool for no other reason than to find out just how close you are to monetization, this is why you should download vidIQ.

Maximizing Video Performance with Like/Dislike Ratios

When you install the vidIQ Chrome extension, you gain instant access to performance percentages for each video, allowing you to see quickly which content is resonating with your audience. This is essentially the likes-to-dislikes ratio on any video on YouTube. This data is invaluable for optimizing content, revealing which videos capture attention, and driving improvements in your channel strategy.

You can find out whether an individual video is resonating with your audience or not

You can determine how your videos are performing at the Channel level

For your Channel, this VidIQ feature will show when the likes ratio falls below 90%, and when the ratio falls below 70%.

The big gaming trend on YouTube at the moment is Fortnite, but what is the next game on the horizon? A lot of gaming creators are gravitating towards a game called Apex, or Apex Legends, and we know that to have a better gaming performance, you want to increase your frames per second, or FPS. So, let’s search for ‘Apex Legends increase FPS’ and see what the vidIQ extension can do with that.

The first awesome feature is the ‘subscriber count’ next to different Channels. This is hugely important as it can help identify windows of opportunity. Just having that little bit of information can let you know whether it’s worth producing content on as a gamer interested in Apex Legends. Another feature, ‘Search Companion’ will give you further data such as the average number of subscribers for the Channels that appear on these search rankings, and the average age of the videos. Both are very useful for finding current trending topics.

Then we have vidIQ’s legendary ‘YouTube

’. This gives you a general indication of competition versus volume or supply versus demand. If there are a lot of people searching for a term and not that many videos being supplied, again, this tells us that we should be making videos on that topic. For in‑depth keyword analysis, take advantage of the ‘Enable Inline Keywords’ tool, which reveals the tags used by successful creators, giving you a solid foundation for your content research and optimization.

As a creator, you can use this feature to determine whether you still think there is value in this keyword, whether this game is going to become more popular, and if you can establish content in that search term before it gets more popular. That kind of insight is incredibly helpful in creating evergreen content. If you like the keywords you find, you can simply mouse over the keywords, click on the paperclip to the right, go to your video, and paste them in. Or you can use the keywords as a springboard for your idea generation.

Optimizing Your Video Metadata for Better SEO

Effective metadata is the backbone of YouTube SEO, and optimizing it can significantly boost your channel’s discoverability. In this section, we dive into strategies for enhancing your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve search rankings. Start by conducting thorough keyword research to uncover terms that align with your content and audience interests. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your title and description to signal relevance to YouTube’s algorithm. Additionally, leverage tags to cover broader topics and related terms, ensuring they accurately reflect the video content. Don’t forget to update your metadata periodically based on performance analytics and emerging trends. By refining your metadata, you not only improve search engine visibility but also enhance viewer engagement, leading to higher watch times and more robust channel growth. This comprehensive approach to SEO empowers you to stay ahead of the competition and continually attract new audiences.

Using Data to Drive Your Channel’s Success

In today’s fast-paced digital world, data is more than just numbers—it’s your guide to creating content that truly resonates. This section is all about tapping into your channel’s analytics to understand what works best and where there’s room for improvement. By tracking key metrics like view duration, click-through rates, and audience demographics, you gain real insight into your viewers' habits and preferences. With these insights in hand, you can fine-tune your video titles, tags, and descriptions to better align with your audience’s interests. We share practical tips drawn from successful YouTube creators, demonstrating how a keen eye on data can uncover new content opportunities and refine your overall strategy. Whether you’re identifying content gaps or tweaking your keyword strategy, using real-time data can help you create videos that not only attract clicks but also keep viewers engaged for longer periods.

Using vidIQ Tools for Detailed Channel Audit

The vidIQ video scorecard gives you all the information you need about every single video on YouTube. As well as data on social engagements, you can take a deep dive into the search engine optimization generated around the video, such as tags, titles, and descriptions. There’s also a video optimization checklist so you can see if the creator has missed any important steps. If you look at your own videos through this video scorecard, you can see even more information.

Did you know the vidIQ tool can help you with editing and uploading? Straight off the bat, we've got character limit features. Did you know that you can only have a hundred characters in your title? Also, it’s good to know you can have five thousand characters in your description and five hundred characters in your tags. Why YouTube doesn't alert you that you’ve gone over your limit by default is beyond me, but we're helping you out there. Oh, and we also help you add emojis to your title (but If you are going to do this, just make sure that you add them towards the end of your titles so that it doesn't mess up the keyword indexing from YouTube). You can also use vidIQ to create a tag template or organize your tags.

vidIQ can also help you evaluate whether your tags, titles, and descriptions are effective for your video. It’s called the ‘SEO’ score and marks your video out of 50. and the higher you can get to 50, the more potential your video has to reach an audience. The tool will also prompt you in terms of ensuring you’ve added cards, end screens, and closed captions. Ensuring that every element of your video is optimized before publication can significantly enhance its visibility and performance on YouTube.

One of the most powerful tools we have here at vidIQ is the 

, we do a live stream every Tuesday where we audit people's channels, but as a creator, consider this feature your very own 24/7 YouTube channel audit expert, which tells you all sorts of information about your channel.

For example, it can identify the general health of your channel and the type of content to double down on if it’s consistently doing well for you. It will also give you information about Watch Time, audience retention, YouTube Playlists, top search terms, end screens, card clicks, and so on.

As for how badly your channel is doing, we give you that information as well. So, content that could use work, the ones with the average lowest view time, the ones with terrible likes to dislikes.

VidIQ YouTube Channel Management: Invaluable Features for Creators

As you start to upload content on your channel, people will start to perceive you as an expert and will want to ask you questions. If you're focusing on a particular topic, you may be asked the same question over and over again, and you kind of want to respond to that but not type out this response over and over again. Auto-generated responses can help you a lot.

For instance, responding promptly and personally to viewer comments not only builds community but also increases engagement – a key metric in YouTube’s algorithm. With the VidIQ comment template, we’ve created a long series of responses for all sorts of different questions we get here. One of the more popular comments is responding “You’re Welcome” and automatically adding the viewer’s username. Automated responses mean you can work through more comments more quickly, especially if you're getting hundreds of comments a day. I use this for at least one or two hours a day, responding to as many comments as possible. This one tool, which is free of cost, has saved me hundreds, if not thousands, of hours managing the vidIQ channel.

When managing your YouTube channel, be sure to utilize the versatile vidIQ utility button, available across multiple pages, to streamline common tasks such as copying cards, editing thumbnails, and optimizing end screens. It does many different things depending on where you are. For example, on the video manager page, for an individual video, if I click on the button, it allows me to do things like copy cards or end screens to then put them onto other videos, saving you time there. You can also use the thumbnail editor (if you're not yet proficient with professional programs such as Photoshop) to start you off with creating custom thumbnails.

 every Tuesday on YouTube at 11 a.m. PST, 7 p.m. GMT.

Man thinking beside red icon with white play button and text "Free Tools!" on blue background

Discover expert strategies on how to grow your YouTube channel fast and free. Learn data‑driven tips and use vidIQ free tools to boost views and subscribers.

How to Grow Your YouTube Channel Fast & Free

Likes are just one signal. vidIQ helps you focus on metrics that truly drive growth.

YouTube creators can sometimes have a lot working against them when it comes to 

. While the YouTube user interface is pretty solid, it’s not exactly distraction free. Fortunately, the visibility of engagement metrics—such as likes and dislikes–can be controlled by creators. This is why it’s valuable to know how to hide likes on YouTube videos.

But how do you hide likes on your YouTube videos? And should you even do it in the first place? These are some questions we’re going to tackle in this guide.

Can You Still Hide Likes and Dislikes on YouTube in 2025?

The short answer is “yes and no,” thanks to some important updates over the past few years.

Since late 2021, YouTube automatically hides the public dislike counts on all videos. Viewers can still click "Dislike," but only the creator can see the total number in 

The “likes” counter, however, remains public by default. If you want to hide it, you’ll need to disable the display of like counts through your video settings.

How to Hide Likes on a YouTube Video (Step-by-Step)

Here’s how you can hide likes on an individual YouTube video:

Find the video you want to edit and click the pencil icon (Details).

Under the "User Ratings" section, uncheck the box that says “Show how many viewers like this video.”

Keep in mind that hiding likes applies individually to each video. If you want all future uploads to automatically hide likes, you will need to adjust settings for each one or use upload defaults.


How to Hide Likes on All New Videos Automatically

If you want every video you upload to hide likes by default:


Go to YouTube Studio > Settings (bottom left corner).

Under Comments, uncheck “Show how many viewers like this video.”

automatically hide likes in published videos in YouTube Studio

Once this is set, every new video you upload will have likes automatically hidden.

Should You Hide Likes on Your YouTube Videos?

So, that’s how you do it. Now let’s answer the question of whether you actually 

From a viewer’s perspective, if they cannot see the likes on a video, there’s one burning question that’s going to be in their head: Why?

At the very least, it raises curiosity because most people will find it a little suspicious. This may lead viewers to conclude that the video’s creator has hidden the public stats because they don’t want anyone to see how few likes the video has received.

This often falls into the same question as why 

YouTube creators hide their subscriber count

. By default, both subscriber counts and likes are shown publicly.

With that in mind, hiding likes can still be a smart strategic move, but it depends on your channel goals.

Launching a new channel: Avoid discouraging early viewers if engagement is low at the start.

Publishing polarizing content: Sensitive topics may attract unfair negativity.

Reducing pressure: Smaller creators often feel anxiety when public numbers are low.

Testing different video formats: Hiding likes temporarily during experiments may be helpful.

Some situations where you might want to keep likes visible may include:

Building social proof: High like counts can build credibility with new audiences.

Boosting discoverability: Engagement signals (such as likes) may encourage viewers to watch.

Transparency expectations: Some audiences expect to see engagement metrics to gauge content quality.

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. YouTube creators have more flexibility than ever to control how their content is received. Whether you choose to show or hide likes, the most important thing is to stay focused on creating amazing, authentic content that connects with your audience.

Gray thumbs up with YouTube logo and green arrow above black box next to word "WHY?"

Did you know that you can hide the likes and dislikes count on any of your YouTube videos? We show you how in this easy guide.

How to Hide Likes & Dislikes on YouTube Videos

vidIQ tracks the signals YouTube actually uses to rank content: CTR, retention, and watch time.

If you’re thinking about deleting your YouTube channel it’s a fairly easy process. On any YouTube page, click on your profile icon in your top right-hand corner of your screen, and select ‘Settings’, then ‘Advanced Settings’. Now, this is where things start to get a little scary. At the bottom of this screen is a "delete channel" button. Don't worry, if you click this button, nothing happens just yet, as you will first need to provide your password. Once you do that, then you will be on the big decision-making screens.

How to Permanently Delete Your YouTube Channel

Let's start with permanently deleting your channel first. This will delete your videos, the users subscribed to your channel, all forms of engagements, your subscriptions to other channels, and your search and watch history. It also removes not only the videos you have created, but your preferences as a video viewer.

If you feel that this is a step too far, then consider the "Hide Channel" option instead. This will make private your channel, likes, users subscribed to your channel, and your subscriptions to other channels. What it will also do is permanently delete comments you posted, but it will not delete your search and watch history. You will be asked to tick all of the checkboxes to confirm you understand what will happen to your channel. This option however, does allow you to re-enable your channel at any time. When your channel is hidden from public view, you may see the message, "Your YouTube channel has content but is disabled," on your YouTube video manager page.

If you do want to quit YouTube, here's my personal advice. Think really, really hard before you click that button. If you're finding the whole process too frustrating, if you think YouTube is against you, or you're simply burnt out, there is nothing wrong with taking a break. Many video creators do this. I have struggled with the pressures of YouTube in the past. I took an entire year off when I moved to a different country. But when I came back, I had a new fire lit within me. So, even if you think YouTube is not the right fit for you right now, things can and will change. And if you do decide to carry on with your YouTube venture, then don't forget that vidIQ is here to help.

Red YouTube play button labeled "Your Channel" with green arrow pointing to trash bin icon.

Do you want to delete your YouTube Channel, or simply hide it while you take a break and consider your options? We show you how.

How to Delete (or Hide) a YouTube Channel

Downloading videos is one task. vidIQ helps you optimize, analyze, and grow your entire channel.

I'm sure you all have your own horror stories of when you've accidentally deleted your YouTube videos - it’s more common than you think. But there’s a quick and easy solution videos, just pop onto Youtube and download it from there.

When you are logged into YouTube you should see your channel logo in the top right hand corner of most YouTube screens. If you click on that, you have the option to go to 

. This is currently in beta, but will become a standard as 2019 progresses.

This is your new dashboard or analytics homepage and from here you want to click on the Videos tab. This will list all of your videos, with most recent first.

When you roll your mouse over these it will show three dots. Click on this and you should find yourself with a download option. And this part's a bit of a no brainer. Click download to save it to your computer.

You can't officially download other peoples YouTube videos

 although you can download them to watch offline if you are part of the YouTube Premium Service on a mobile application of Youtube.

And there's also this extra little tidbit that you might want to know if you're downloading your own videos from YouTube. The file that you download from Youtube is a radically different beast of the one you originally uploaded. First of all you'll notice just how small it is. In this case, ten percent of the size of the original. You'll also notice that by default the resolution is set to 1280 by 720 which may differ from the original. If nothing else this is a testament to the compression technology over at YouTube because other than resolution, I can't tell a difference.

 then make sure to download vidIQ. It will help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

2019 edition YouTube video icon with arrow pointing to yellow download folder symbol.

Forgot to back up your YouTube uploads? There's a new method of downloading your content from your YouTube Channel and we show you what you need to do.

How to Download a YouTube Video: New Method

vidIQ goes beyond basic YouTube features with advanced analytics, keywords, and AI optimization.

How do you create a Playlist on YouTube? When you are logged in to YouTube, you should see your channel logo in the top right hand corner of most YouTube screens. If you click on that, you have the option to go to YouTube Studio (this is currently in beta, but will become the standard as 2019 progresses). Within the new Studio, click on the videos section that lists all of your most recent videos. Next to each video is a checkbox and if you click it more options will become available at the top. One of the new options is ‘Add to Playlist.’ If you click on this, you can add the currently selected videos to an existing Playlist or at the very bottom, you can create a brand new Playlist. Simply create a title and set the Playlist visibility. For example, you may want to set the Playlist to private until you have several videos in that Playlist.

Playlists are very much underused and undervalued by video creators on YouTube. A proven way to grow your channel is to get viewers to not only watch one of your videos, but a series of videos that are all related together, and that is where Playlists come into play (forgive the pun.) You want to create a binge watch mentality, so not only do you get Watch Time from one video, but session Watch Time from several of your videos.

At the time of writing, how to manage Playlists is a little confusing because the functionality is not yet available in the new creators studio. So if you point your browser to 

https://www.youtube.com/view_all_playlists

, you will reach a page where you can start to edit your Playlists in terms of order of videos, add description, and so on.

One more thing, if you have the VidIQ Chrome extension installed, we have a cool 

. It shows you loads of things about your channel, but at the very bottom of this report card, it tells you which videos on your channel are not currently in Playlists. All you need to do is click through the screens and that will take you directly to the video edit page for that video, where you can add it to a Playlist. Problem solved in no more than thirty seconds.

YouTube icon with green arrow pointing to a playlist of four numbered video thumbnails.

A proven way to grow your YouTube Channel is to get viewers to watch more than one of your videos - that's why setting up Playlists is a must.

Carla Marshall

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