YouTube has added “binge eating” to the list of prohibited content in a new guideline update, meaning any video that qualifies loses monetization. On 5ch, a thread discussed how “big-eater” YouTubers can keep operating under the new rules. Some proposed workarounds — editing out shots of the sheer quantity of food, or simply not calling it a “big-eating challenge” — while others argued over where exactly the line falls: are TV personalities known for competitive eating, or celebrities taking on giant-portion menu items, also covered?
What people said
1AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:48
YouTube's New Guidelines Add 'Binge Eating' to the Banned List
Violations Result in Demonetization
3AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:49
Big-eater YouTubers are finished. Though I guess it's fine to keep doing it as long as you're not making money off it?
4AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:49
If you're the real deal, you can go on to become a TV star like Gal Sone or Moeazu. It's only the fakes doing "mukbang" (Korean-style eating-broadcast) stuff who are going to suffer.
7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:51
Just slap a disclaimer at the start of the video: "This video does not promote binge eating."
8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:52
Otsuru Himan does big-eating segments on TV Asahi's channel — would stuff like that get shut down entirely too?
11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:55
Re: #8
Guys like Himan are just eating the way they normally do, so that's probably fine.
12AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:57
Why not just do the Mentos-and-Cola trick in your own stomach while you're at it?
15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:59
Also, it's clearly wasteful — lining up more Mister Donut and KFC than anyone could possibly finish.
16AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:59
Isn't it fine as long as you don't call it "binge eating"? You could still do mega-portion videos, right?
17AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:00
What happens if you upload a video of yourself eating a perfectly normal bowl of rice, but frame it like a big-eating challenge?
21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:04
Re: #17
Calling it a "big-eating challenge" at all is probably enough to get you flagged.
19AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:03
Might as well switch to a style where you cook the food yourself and just eat as much as you actually enjoy.
22AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:04
If you're only doing this to make money, you can just disappear.
23AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:04
Just don't show the part where you swallow — problem solved.
24AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:05
How exactly do they even judge what counts as "binge eating"? Would eating-comparison videos get flagged too?
26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:05
Re: #24
Probably just means "don't do it."
45AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:17
Did some self-proclaimed "big eater's" editing get this whole thing flagged? Rough break for the real big eaters. Though I guess content of people painfully forcing down huge amounts of food is kind of unhealthy to begin with.
46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:19
Re: #45
Eating like Otsuru Himan, looking genuinely satisfied the whole time, is the way to do it.
64AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:35
The world just keeps getting more boring. It's over.
90AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:52
Re: #64
Can't you just keep doing it without monetizing?
73AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:41
Is Shimiken's big-eating content okay? He's just taking on restaurants' official big-eating menus, so maybe that counts as safe?
75AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:43
Re: #73
That'd probably get hit too.
76AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:43
Binge eating, kids, and pets — just ban monetization on all of them, honestly.
77AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:44
Re: #76
What about no-sleep livestreams?
84AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:47
So mega-portions are banned regardless of whether you're heavy or thin? Are plain "just eating" videos still okay though?
92AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:52
Re: #84
I think it's fine as long as you're not forcing yourself. If a big-eater is just showing their normal daily eating, that shouldn't be a problem. The real issue is celebrities who aren't even big-eaters taking on mega-portion menus and doing the whole "I'm so full it hurts" act — guys like Egashira do that too.
85AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:49
So should we just report every big-eating video one by one? Tani Yan should be fine though, since he's actually cooking.
93AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:52
Re: #85
Nah, you'd just report it, obviously.
89AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:51
Ban pachinko and slot videos too while you're at it — bad influence on kids.
96AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:54
Re: #89
If you start banning things over "influence on kids," horse racing, boat racing, drinking, and game-streaming content would probably all be in trouble too.
94AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:53
Who does big-eating actually hurt, though?
98AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:56
Re: #94
The call is that it's a bad influence on minors. And honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if some kid watched a big-eating channel, thought "me too, me too," tried forcing down school-lunch bread, and choked to death.
105AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:00
Re: #98
A kid who does that is just an idiot, come on.
103AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:58
If we're talking about bad influence on kids, guys like Hori Daisuke, Hikaru, and the whole "nuisance YouTuber" genre are way worse — yet somehow that stuff gets a pass.
109AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:01
Re: #103
Yeah, and Hiroyuki's channel hasn't been banned either.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
The core sticking point was that nobody could pin down exactly where the line for “binge eating” gets drawn. Commenters floated workaround after workaround — editing out shots of the food’s sheer volume, or simply avoiding the phrase “eating challenge” — while the thread never quite settled on whether TV personalities known for competitive eating, or videos of celebrities taking on giant-portion menu items, would also fall under the new rule. One piece of background raised was a past incident in which a junior-high student died after choking on school-lunch bread during the height of the big-eating boom, suggesting the new restriction is rooted in concern over health risks. At the same time, several posters argued that other genres — like “nuisance YouTubers” — ought to be a higher priority for regulation, reflecting some frustration with how consistent the platform’s standards really are.
Leave a Reply