How platforms are responding to the Charlie Kirk shooting

Horrifying videos of influencer and right-wing activist Charlie Kirk being fatally shot were widely available on social media platforms. We’ve reached out to some of the platforms to ask how they will be treating the videos and charged posts about the shooting. So far, we’re aware of responses from Bluesky, Meta, and YouTube.

Bluesky:

• “Glorifying violence or harm violates Bluesky’s Community Guidelines,” Bluesky said on its Bluesky Safety account. “We review reports and take action on content that celebrates harm against anyone. Violence has no place in healthy public discourse, and we’re committed to fostering healthy, open conversations.”

Meta:

• Spokesperson Francis Brennan referred The Verge to the company’s policies on violent and graphic content, which Brennan indicated would apply in this case. According to those policies, “we remove the most graphic content and add warning labels to other types of content so that people are aware it may be sensitive before they click through. We restrict the ability for younger users to see content that may not be suitable or age-appropriate for them. By doing so, we aim to provide an appropriate user experience, while continuing to provide space for our users to express themselves.”

Reddit:

• “Our sitewide rules prohibit encouraging, glorifying, inciting, or calling for violence,” spokesperson Gina Antonini tells The Verge. “We’re monitoring the platform to remove violating content, including hashing to prevent its re-upload. We have also reached out to ensure moderators understand and abide not only by the Reddit Rules, but also our Moderator Code of Conduct, and understand the tools and resources available to uphold our policies.”

YouTube:

• “Our hearts are with Charlie Kirk’s family following his tragic death,” spokesperson Jack Malon tells The Verge. “We are closely monitoring our platform and prominently elevating news content on the homepage, in search and in recommendations to help people stay informed.”
• Malon says that YouTube will be removing “some graphic content” related to Kirk’s death, “particularly if it does not provide sufficient context for viewers.” Some content that shows the attack will be age-restricted, meaning that it can’t be seen by signed-out viewers or users under 18.
• Malon also says that YouTube’s policies prohibit content “reveling in or mocking the death or serious injury of an identifiable individual.”

Discord, TikTok, and X didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

Update, September 10th: Added statement from a Reddit spokesperson.