YouTube has seen a huge spike in YouTube Shorts since it launched, thanks in part to the fact that creators can now monetize their content. A key feature of YouTube Shorts is the ease of sharing links.

However, some changes will come into effect to combat spam. Starting August 31, YouTube will ban certain links on the platform. This primarily includes removing clickable links from YouTube Shorts’ featured areas such as comments and descriptions.

As a result, links shared in YouTube Shorts comments, descriptions, and vertical live streams after August 31 will no longer be clickable. Additionally, the clickable social media icons currently in the desktop channel header will be removed.

New referral mechanisms for creators

Starting August 23, YouTube will introduce a new approach to allow creators to lead their viewers to longer content:

Notable clickable links on channel pages: Both mobile and desktop viewers will notice prominent clickable links in their creator channel profiles next to the Subscribe button. Creators can use this space to share websites, social profiles, product sites, and other links that comply with Community Guidelines.

Full integration of short videos and other content: Recognizing the importance of clickable links in helping creators direct their audience of short videos to other types of content, YouTube is developing a safer way for creators to engage viewers from short videos to additional YouTube content. This implementation is planned for the end of September.

Fight Spam Beyond Links

YouTube is aware of the detrimental impact spam and fraud have on the user experience. To address these issues, YouTube is actively improving the following areas:

Reducing impersonation: YouTube has made significant progress in identifying and removing impersonation channels, particularly those impersonating popular authors and public figures. This led to a more than 35% increase in removal of such channels between Q1 2022 and Q1 2023.

Improved comment control: YouTube has improved its Stricter tool by detecting and holding off potentially spam or inappropriate comments for creators to evaluate. According to YouTube, these improvements resulted in a 200% increase in the number of comments left for review using the feature in the first week of June, compared to May.