Quirks & Gotchas
”Made for Kids” (COPPA)
This is not just a quirk, it’s a legal requirement.- You must flag content as
madeForKids: trueif it targets children. - Failure to do so can result in penalties. We expose this field in the
data.YOUTUBEobject. Use it.
Shorts Detection
There is no special “upload as Short” button. YouTube decides for you based on the file:- Duration: Under 60 seconds.
- Aspect Ratio: Vertical (9:16) or Square (1:1).
Analytics
YouTube analytics are all Lifetime values. There is no rolling window.Profile (Channel) Analytics
Period: Lifetime.| Metric | Description | Note |
|---|---|---|
Impressions | Total channel views | |
Views | Total channel views | |
Comments | Total comments | Across all videos |
Followers | Subscribers | |
Likes | Returns 0 | Not available at channel level |
Following | Returns 0 | Not applicable |
Post (Video) Analytics
Period: Lifetime.| Metric | Description | Note |
|---|---|---|
Impressions | Video views | |
Views | Video views | |
Likes | Likes | |
Dislikes | Dislikes | Available via API even if hidden on UI |
Comments | Comments | |
Saves | Favorites | |
Shares | Returns 0 | Not provided by API |