Facebook recently made a blunder by blocking a breast cancer awareness ad. The tech giant immediately owned its mistake and apologized. It also re-approved the ad. Another huge media platform YouTube is faced with a Change.org petition that demands to temporarily ban a popular YouTuber with a serious underweight condition.
The Petition To Temporarily Ban A Popular YouTuber
The petition stated that popular YouTuber Eugenia Cooney has a serious medical condition. It mentioned that Cooney needs to seek help. The petition claimed that she has been influencing her viewers by her serious underweight condition.
The petition's administrator Lynn Cloud reiterated that displaying 50 percent of Cooney's body in videos and pictures are not helping girls with anorexia or other eating disorders. This is though she may not be intentionally influencing her YouTube viewers. The petitioner said that Cooney's severely thin appearance set an unhealthy example.
According to the Daily Mail, one those who signed the petitions reveals that his/her cousin had starved herself to look like Eugenia. The said cousin has lost 17lbs but is now receiving care. To make the matter worse, she is just 12 years old.
The said petition had been addressed to YouTube and Google in early October. However, it might have been taken down by Friday afternoon, according to the New York Daily News.
Who Is Eugenia Cooney?
22-year-old Eugenia Cooney has almost 900,000 subscribers on YouTube. The number of Cooney's following is not a lot compared to other famous YouTubers. Though she is still able to reach that much people through her channel and social media accounts.
She makes make-up, hair and wardrobe advice videos. The Daily Mail further reports that Cooney joined YouTube back in 2013 after she left school. She also receives financial contributions from fans. It is said that she may still be living with her parents.
Cooney made a YouTube video to address the issue of her weight. She revealed that she refused to make an appearance on Dr. Phil. She also took to Twitter to speak about the petition. Cooney insisted that she's not trying to do anything wrong. But she also has apologized to those who want her off YouTube.
She mentioned that she has been receiving more negative comments. Cooney suggested that people should not watch her video instead of banning her account.
YouTube's Action Regarding The Matter
Daily Mail stated that YouTube would not comment on the issue. Apparently, it only highlighted the list of its policies. Viewers are advised to flag inappropriate contents.
There should be something to be done about Cooney's condition. As a YouTube personality, she has some influence over those who watch her videos. It does not help that other people are unintentionally encouraged to be disturbingly thin.
However, a petition may not be the right solution. It's also important to respect one's self as well as others. As a huge media platform, YouTube is responsible for protecting their viewers.
