By Asif Khan

Copyright shacknews

Hi Creators,We know seeing your view count drop is frustrating, especially when you can’t pinpoint the cause. We’ve seen a lot of speculation that there is a connection between view count drops and features like Restricted Mode, and want to clear things up directly.The short answer: Restricted Mode represents only a small fraction of the daily views on YouTube, there has not been an increase in viewers using Restricted Mode, and this optional setting is not causing a drop in views.What Restricted Mode is (and isn’t)Restricted Mode is an optional setting that’s been around since 2010 with no recent changes. It’s OFF by default. YouTube never automatically turns on Restricted Mode for you or your viewers. It must be manually enabled by a user or a network administrator (for example, at a school or library).Its usage is very small. Restricted Mode was designed for institutions like schools and libraries. The number of people using this feature is very very low, representing a small fraction of the daily views on YouTube, and this has not changed recently. It’s not used as part of age-protection. Restricted Mode is completely separate from the age-protection measures applied to accounts under 18.We also want to state plainly that we are not using AI to automatically enable Restricted Mode for viewers. That is not how the feature works.If you believe your video has been incorrectly categorized for Restricted Mode, you can let our review teams know using this form.So, what could cause some creators to report a drop in views?When we get reports like these, our first step is to check for any technical issues or bugs. Our deep dive into many areas confirmed that our viewership systems are working correctly. There are many reasons that individual channels may see view fluctuations, but there is no systemic issue that is impacting creators.If your channel is experiencing a drop in view counts, this could be happening for a few reasons:Return to the Baseline: Some channels that had high-performing videos are now seeing viewership return to their normal baseline. It can feel like a drop, but it’s more so a leveling-off after a big spike.Seasonal Viewing Habits: Every year we see significant shifts in viewership, especially around August as summer ends. This is a normal part of the yearly cycle.Viewers Using Ad Blockers & Other Content Blocking Tools: Ad blockers and other extensions can impact the accuracy of reported view counts. Channels whose audiences include a higher proportion of users utilizing such tools may see more fluctuations in traffic related to updates to these tools.On-Platform Competition: Viewers could be watching other videos, channels, and topics on YouTube, which is typical. Our teams will continue to monitor platform data to ensure everything is working correctly. Rob (TeamYouTube)