YouTube Issues Rare Apology After Destroying 'Everything’ for Popular Creator
For digital content creators, the platform is their livelihood. This means that a single glitch can prove catastrophic, which was exactly the case for one well-known creator. Reality became a nightmare for a user who had built up a substantial following and significant viewership, leading to a full-blown battle with the popular streaming platform YouTube.
The creator who goes by the name "Norse797," revealed on X that "after almost a year of fighting" with YouTube, the company confirmed the account's termination was a mistake. It's an eye-opening amount of time to have to battle, but the story behind the situation might be even crazier.
'I Didn't Break the Rules:' Inside the Viral YouTube Ban That Sparked Outrage
Building a following on any streaming platform is a tall task, especially given the competition and significant work it takes to get a new channel off the ground on YouTube. Norse797 had built their account to 108,000 viewers and explained they had 25 million views and 200,000 watch hours before their account was terminated.
The reason? A comment made by the user on an old YouTube account at age 13.
"YouTube terminated my 108K channel over a comment I made at 13 years old," the user wrote.
"My channel had no warnings, then I was banned for 'spam and deceptive practices.' After months of talking with support and multiple appeals, they finally revealed the real reason: 'ban evasion.' Their AI moderation linked my channel to an old account I created at 13, a dead account with no uploads, only a few comments."
The user bluntly stated that they "didn't break the rules" and "never tried to evade a ban."
YouTube terminated my 108K channel over a comment I made at 13 years old.
— norse797 (@bjr2730) November 9, 2025
My channel had no warnings, then I was banned for “spam and deceptive practices.” After months of talking with support and multiple appeals, they finally revealed the real reason: “ban evasion.”
Their AI… pic.twitter.com/sHwiTL86HO
According to the account holder, here are a few of the details behind the channel that was banned:
- "Ban evading" from an old account created at age 13
- The old account didn't have a single uploaded video
- An "automated AI system" flagged them
- The decision was "unrelated to any content violations"
- YouTube "connected [the] two accounts years apart and deleted everything" they built
The creator used their X account to post updates consistently and pushed for YouTube to change its decision. They also called on the streaming platform to change its approach to bans, citing that they aren't the "only creator facing this."
YouTube's Official Response: Admitting Ban Was 'a Mistake on Our End'
While it's unknown exactly how long Norse797 had to fight to get the channel reinstated, the lengthy back-and-forth ended just before Thanksgiving. YouTube's official X account responded to one of the user's messages on Wednesday, Nov. 26, issuing an apology and calling it a "mistake on our end."
"We're so sorry for the delay and for the frustration this whole process caused. Our team has thoroughly reviewed your channel and confirmed it did not violate our Community Guidelines. It has now been fully reinstated. This was a mistake on our end, and we're truly sorry. Our team has also emailed you with more details, and can help answer any additional questions there," the TeamYouTube account wrote.
We're so sorry for the delay and for the frustration this whole process caused. Our team has thoroughly reviewed your channel and confirmed it did not violate our Community Guidelines. It has now been fully reinstated. This was a mistake on our end, and we're truly sorry. Our…
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) November 26, 2025
The user confirmed YouTube's decision in another social media post, stating the company "confirmed my termination was a mistake."
"After almost a year of fighting, and being told just days ago that 'the original decision stands' my 108K channel is FINALLY reinstated," Norse797 wrote.
"Thank you to everyone who liked, reposted, and supported me. Im SO grateful my case is fixed, but thousands of creators are still unfairly banned and Ill keep fighting for you too!"
It's great to see the issue was resolved for the account holder, but it's hard to imagine having to battle this for around a full year. And as they stated, other content creators are going through similar battles to get accounts reinstated, many of whom likely relied on the income from their channels to live.
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