What Was the Original Elsagate?
Elsagate stands as one of the most influential events in YouTube history. This 2016-2017 controversy forced multiple platform changes and triggered widespread advertiser boycotts that impacted revenue across the entire website and millions of creators.
The scandal centered on the YouTube Kids application, where an explosion of children’s content featured beloved characters like Elsa from Frozen, Joker, Spider-Man, and Peppa Pig. However, instead of family-friendly themes, these videos contained disturbing storylines about pregnancy, mutilation, sexual fantasies, and unprovoked violence.
The hallmarks of Elsagate content included:
- Familiar childhood characters
- Hashtags and metadata targeting children
- Shock factor themes inappropriate for young audiences
- Monetized videos extracting revenue
When the scandal hit mainstream headlines, it dramatically impacted YouTube, crushed revenue for creators platform-wide, and forced policy changes restricting advertisement placement.
The Return: AI-Generated Cat Videos
Elsagate-style content has returned to YouTube, and it’s more rampant than ever. Searching for “cute cat” videos from the past month reveals thousands of AI-generated videos with tens of millions of views—billions in total.
While some videos appear innocent, others feature disturbing content:
- Cats being poisoned
- Scatological themes
- Graphic violence and abuse
- Hour-long videos of AI cats being tortured
Examples include “Poor kitten abused by its own cruel mother and sister” with nearly 500,000 views, and “Cruel Mother cat never kind to kitten till death.” These aren’t isolated incidents—they represent the majority of content found when searching for recent “cute cat” videos.
The Scale of the Problem
The channels producing this content have accumulated massive viewership:
- Meow Grabber: Over 1 million channel views (Pakistan)
- Story Cat of AI: 2 million channel views (United States)
- Cute Animals: 6 million channel views (Turkey)
- Kitten Short Stories: 16 million views (Vietnam)
- Cat Code Meow: Over 60 million total views (Pakistan)
- Stunning Cat Stories: 213 million views, nearly 1 million subscribers (United States)
Beyond Cats: Minions and Elsa Return
The problem extends beyond cat videos. Searching “minions” yields results like “Minion Baby belly has WORM parasites” from channels uploading multiple versions of similarly twisted content. These videos feature popular characters including Elsa, Joker, Spider-Man, and others in shocking scenarios involving pregnancy, gore, and violence.
Searching for “Elsa” reveals AI-generated content featuring:
- Disney princesses with grotesque mutations
- Vampire attacks and death scenes
- Graphic medical conditions
- Disturbing pregnancy themes
The Monetization Engine
These videos are monetized, with ads from major brands appearing alongside the content. An entire cottage industry has emerged teaching people how to create these videos:
- “How I create cat videos and make $30,000 every month on YouTube”
- “How to create viral AI cat videos and earn $3,000 PER DAY”
- “How to actually Create Viral AI Cat Shorts and Earn $6,485/month”
Articles, Medium posts, and tutorials detail precisely how to generate automated “cat video” channels and get them monetized. While some guides don’t explicitly encourage inappropriate content, many tell creators to copy what’s already popular—including the disturbing material.
A Platform-Wide Crisis
This isn’t limited to YouTube. On Instagram, accounts like mpminds have 1.3 million followers and posts with 15 million likes featuring similar AI-generated content. TikTok faces the same infiltration of AI-generated, child-targeted content with inappropriate themes.
The “dead internet theory” problem is accelerating. AI channels can generate massive amounts of content compared to humans, and as long as it’s monetized and has algorithmic visibility, the spiral will continue. Keywords are drowning in AI slop, and creators resort to increasingly shocking themes to differentiate themselves.
The Urgent Need for Action
YouTube must stop monetizing this content immediately. Without proactive measures, certain sections of the platform will be overrun. While this may not immediately impact adult-focused creators, billions of views for AI-generated child abuse content should trigger immediate action.
Elsagate 2.0 is real but hasn’t reached critical mass yet. YouTube has time to implement changes and de-incentivize this content before another scandal erupts. The platform needs to act now, not wait until mainstream media attention forces their hand again.
What Parents Can Do
Parents need to actively monitor what their children watch on YouTube. Even seemingly innocent cat videos may contain disturbing content. The majority of this content targets young children using tablets and phones to browse YouTube independently.
Consider these steps:
- Review your child’s viewing history regularly
- Use restricted mode and parental controls
- Watch content together before allowing independent viewing
- Consider limiting or eliminating YouTube access for young children
The responsibility shouldn’t fall entirely on parents, but until platforms take decisive action, vigilance is essential. Question everything your children consume online, especially content that appears innocent at first glance.
