Creator platform rule changes, 2025–2026: what changed, when, and where it is written

The table lists the rule changes that matter to people who make clips and AI videos, from February 2025 to August 2026, by the date the platform gave. Each one is explained below, with what it means for you, the platform’s own page and the day we read it.

A date is the day a change took effect, or the day the platform announced it when that is all its page says. A rule whose page shows no date is not in this table: it is under the rules that did not change.

Each card gives the date, the platform, what changed, what it means for a clip or AI-video maker, and the page where the platform wrote it down. It also links to our full guide on that platform, where the rest of its rules are.

1. 1 February 2025Snapchat

   The Spotlight Rewards Program ended on 31 January 2025. From 1 February 2025 one Monetization Program, by invitation, pays for ads in Public Stories and in Spotlight together.

   What it means: Spotlight pay is now a share of ad revenue for invited creators, for Spotlight videos of at least 30 seconds.

   Where it is written: Snap Newsroom: Snapchat Introduces New, Unified Monetization Program (16 December 2024; read 8 October 2026)

   Details: Snapchat monetization

2. 17 June 2025Facebook

   Meta’s creators blog said Facebook Reels have no length or format limits: a reel can be any length and any orientation, rolled out gradually.

   What it means: A long or horizontal video can be posted as a reel. For reels published through Meta’s API, Meta’s developer page still says 3 to 90 seconds.

   Where it is written: Meta for Creators: Making it easier to create videos on Facebook (17 June 2025; read 29 October 2026)

   Details: Facebook Reels size

3. 15 July 2025YouTube

   YouTube renamed its repetitious content policy to inauthentic content: content that is repetitive or mass-produced. In the same note it said the reused content policy did not change.

   What it means: The rule is about mass production, not AI as such. YouTube’s page lists AI content made from generic templates that gives the impression of mass production among what is not eligible, and AI used to visualize a unique character and story you invented among what is.

   Where it is written: YouTube Help: YouTube channel monetization policies (read 29 October 2026)

   Details: YouTube reused content

4. 4 August 2025TikTok

   TikTok started Scaled LIVE rewards worldwide: up to 53% of the LIVE rewards it calculates, 40% per LIVE plus 13% weekly.

   What it means: The 53% is a share of TikTok’s own calculation, not of what viewers pay for Gifts, and TikTok publishes no rate for Diamonds.

   Where it is written: TikTok Creator Academy: Scaled LIVE rewards (read 8 October 2026)

   Details: TikTok LIVE gifts and Series

5. 31 August 2025Facebook

   Meta ended in-stream ads, Ads on Reels and the Performance bonus. Facebook now pays creators through one programme, content monetization, by invitation only.

   What it means: You cannot switch it on yourself: Meta says the interest form is not an application. A reel must be at least 10 seconds long to earn.

   Where it is written: Meta Business Help Center: About Facebook content monetisation for creators (read 23 September 2026)

   Details: Facebook monetization

6. 19 November 2025TikTok

   TikTok said it was testing a control in Manage Topics that lets people choose how much AI-generated content they see, and adding invisible watermarks to its labels. It had labeled over 1.3 billion videos.

   What it means: TikTok’s help page requires a label on AI-generated content with realistic images, audio or video, and says the label does not affect distribution when the video follows the Community Guidelines.

   Where it is written: TikTok Newsroom: More ways to spot, shape and understand AI-generated content (19 November 2025; read 8 October 2026)

   Details: How to label AI videos

7. 3 March 2026X

   X made a disclosure required on AI-generated video of an armed conflict.

   What it means: Without it, X suspends you from Original Content Rewards for 90 days, and repeat violations end payments for good.

   Where it is written: X Help Center: Original Content Rewards (read 8 October 2026)

   Details: How X pays creators

8. 10 March 2026Meta

   Meta’s Oversight Board overturned Meta’s decision to leave up an AI-generated video of the Israel-Iran conflict without a High Risk AI label.

   What it means: Meta requires its AI-disclosure tool for photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was digitally created or altered, and may add a more prominent label where the public could be misled on a matter of public importance.

   Where it is written: Meta Transparency Center: AI Generated Video in Iran-Israel conflict (Oversight Board) (read 8 October 2026)

   Details: How to label AI videos

9. 13 March 2026Facebook

   Meta spelled out what it treats as original: content filmed or produced by the creator. Other people’s material can still count when the focus is you, presenting something genuinely new.

   What it means: For a clip maker, Meta’s test is what you add: fresh information, analysis or real improvements, with you at the centre.

   Where it is written: Meta Newsroom: Rewarding original creators on Facebook (13 March 2026; read 29 October 2026)

   Details: Facebook monetization

10. 18 March 2026Facebook

    Meta announced Creator Fast Track for creators with at least 100,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, or more than a million on one of them.

    What it means: Accepted creators get immediate access to content monetization. Meta decides who joins, and the announcement lists no countries.

    Where it is written: Meta Newsroom: Creator Fast Track (18 March 2026; read 29 October 2026)

    Details: Facebook monetization

11. 2 April 2026Snapchat

    Snap said it was putting original content made with the Snapchat camera first, so Spotlight shows fewer synthetic AI videos and widely syndicated posts.

    What it means: A post shared across many apps, or a synthetic AI video, is shown less on Spotlight.

    Where it is written: Snap Newsroom: Still Spotlight... But Still Real (2 April 2026; read 8 October 2026)

    Details: Snapchat monetization

12. 7 May 2026Snapchat

    To qualify for maximum Creator Rewards, a creator must keep at least 100 hours of total Spotlight view time on their posts over the last 28 days.

    What it means: Snap shows it at the top of Insights, under Daily Rewards Eligibility. The program is still by invitation, and Snap states no rate per view.

    Where it is written: Snapchat Support: About Snapchat's Monetization Program (read 29 October 2026)

    Details: Snapchat monetization

13. 15 June 2026Facebook

    Meta’s country page gave 15 June 2026 as the end of in-stream ads for Live.

    What it means: A live video no longer earns from in-stream ads. Stars and Subscriptions are separate fan tools with their own rules.

    Where it is written: Meta Business Help Center: Country and language availability (read 8 October 2026)

    Details: Facebook monetization

14. 31 July 2026Snapchat

    Snap said wholly AI-generated videos are no longer eligible for recommendation on Spotlight. Content enhanced or edited with Snapchat’s own AI tools stays eligible and carries transparency indicators.

    What it means: Snap’s monetization policy still allows content made with AI tools if it is original, not misleading and the AI use is disclosed, but a wholly AI video is not recommended, even with a disclosure.

    Where it is written: Snap Newsroom: Rewarding Authentic Creativity on Spotlight (31 July 2026; read 8 October 2026)

    Details: Snapchat monetization

15. 7 August 2026X

    X’s Creator Revenue Sharing stopped taking new members. X said it was to be retired on 7 September 2026, and Original Content Rewards replaces it.

    What it means: Original Content Rewards asks for Premium, 500 verified followers and 500,000 verified Home Timeline impressions in 90 days, and pays only for original content. X publishes no rate per impression.

    Where it is written: X Help Center: Creator Revenue Sharing (read 8 October 2026)

    Details: How X pays creators

16. 10 August 2026YouTube

    YouTube announced that from 1 February 2027 a channel joining the Partner Program needs 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours in 365 days or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days.

    What it means: Channels already in the program are not affected. Earning from Shorts will need 10 million Shorts views every 90 days, and every partner must accept the updated terms by 31 January 2027.

    Where it is written: YouTube Blog: New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program (10 August 2026; read 29 October 2026)

    Details: YouTube Partner Program 2027

We quote only what the platforms’ own pages say. Where a page gives a figure, we give it. Where it gives none, as with the pay for a view, we say so and give none.

Three changes are announced for two dates that are not yet here, all of them YouTube’s (its blog post of 10 August 2026 and its Help page on the changes, both read on 29 October 2026):

• 31 January 2027: the last day for every partner to accept YouTube’s updated terms in YouTube Studio. YouTube says a partner who does not stops earning from the features concerned, without losing Partner Program status.
• 1 February 2027: a new channel needs 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours in 365 days, or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days, to join the Partner Program. Today it is 4,000 hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
• 1 February 2027: earning from Shorts needs 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days, and an active channel is one with 1,000 watch hours in 365 days, 1 million Shorts views in 90 days, or 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts every 90 days.

Meta also says it plans to open registration for Facebook content monetization to everyone soon. It gives no date, so it is not on the list.

Many rules people ask about had no dated change in 2025 or 2026 on the pages we read. Each is here with the date its own page gives, or the day we read it when the page shows none, so you can tell an old rule from a new one.

1. Terms of 28 November 2022Facebook

   Meta’s Stars Terms say Meta may pay eligible creators USD 0.01 for each Star sold and used, minus deductions. None of Meta’s Stars pages we read on 8 October 2026 shows a Stars change dated 2025 or 2026.

   What it means: Meta lists 500 followers for 30 consecutive days, an age of 18 or older and a country on its list of 75 as conditions to earn from Stars, and its terms promise no income.

   Where it is written: Facebook: Stars Terms (read 8 October 2026)

   Details: Facebook Stars

2. No date on the page; read 23 September 2026Instagram

   Instagram’s Help Center says it pays US$0.01 for every Star in gifts, to professional accounts with 500 followers whose owner is 18 or older, in 49 countries.

   What it means: We found no dated change to gifts. Instagram publishes no rate per view, and its bonuses are by invitation.

   Where it is written: Instagram Help: How to earn money on Instagram Gifts (read 23 September 2026)

   Details: Instagram monetization

3. Since 18 March 2024YouTube

   YouTube asks you to disclose realistic content made or altered with AI, such as a real person made to say something they did not say, or a realistic scene that did not happen.

   What it means: YouTube’s Help page (read 29 October 2026) says disclosing AI content alone won’t limit a video’s audience or its eligibility to earn money, and creators who consistently do not disclose can face penalties, among them suspension from the Partner Program.

   Where it is written: YouTube Blog: How we’re helping creators disclose altered or synthetic content (18 March 2024; read 8 October 2026)

   Details: How to label AI videos

4. Uploads from 15 October 2024YouTube

   YouTube Shorts are square or vertical videos of up to 3 minutes.

   What it means: We found no later length change on YouTube’s pages (read 29 October 2026). YouTube states no pixel size, so 1080 x 1920 is our arithmetic.

   Where it is written: YouTube Help: Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts (read 29 October 2026)

   Details: YouTube Shorts size

5. No date on the page; read 29 October 2026YouTube

   YouTube pays for Shorts from a monthly Creator Pool shared by engaged views, and the creator keeps 45% of the revenue allocated to them.

   What it means: YouTube publishes no rate per view. From 1 February 2027 earning from Shorts needs 10 million Shorts views every 90 days.

   Where it is written: YouTube Help: YouTube Shorts monetization policies (read 29 October 2026)

   Details: How YouTube pays for Shorts

6. Page last updated 18 August 2026TikTok

   TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program counts only original videos over a minute long, from personal accounts 18 or older with 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in 30 days, in 8 countries.

   What it means: TikTok publishes no rate per view, and its page lists slide videos among what makes content ineligible.

   Where it is written: TikTok Creator Academy: Who is eligible for the Creator Rewards Program (read 23 September 2026)

   Details: TikTok Creator Rewards

7. Page last updated 26 October 2026; same conditions as on 8 October 2026Kwai

   Kwai’s Ad Revenue Program page lists creator level 6 or higher, or more than 500 fans; original videos; more than 12 posts and an average of 1,000 views, or 10,000 in total, in 30 days; and adult age.

   What it means: Kwai says the program is opening gradually to high-quality creators and keeps no change log, so check your own Creator Center.

   Where it is written: Kwai Help Center: Introduction to the Ad Revenue Programme (read 29 October 2026)

   Details: Kwai monetization

8. No date on the page; read 8 October 2026X

   X’s Help Center says everyone can post videos of up to 140 seconds, and Premium subscribers longer ones.

   What it means: X’s developer documentation (read 29 October 2026) recommends 1280 x 720, 720 x 1280 or 720 x 720 and accepts shapes from 1:3 to 3:1.

   Where it is written: X Help Center: How to share and watch videos on X (read 8 October 2026)

   Details: X video size

9. The page says “Last updated: 4 years ago”; read 29 October 2026LinkedIn

   LinkedIn’s video page for Pages takes videos of 3 seconds to 10 minutes and up to 5 GB, in shapes from 1:2.4 to 2.4:1.

   What it means: Its ad specification gives the pixel sizes, up to 1080 x 1920 for vertical 9:16.

   Where it is written: LinkedIn Help: Video specifications for your LinkedIn Pages and Career Pages (read 29 October 2026)

   Details: LinkedIn video size

10. No date on the page; read 29 October 2026Pinterest

    Pinterest’s Pin specs take video Pins of 4 seconds to 5 minutes and recommend 9:16 or 1080 x 1920 for full-screen video.

    What it means: The same page lists safe zones: 270 px at the top, 65 px on the left, 195 px on the right and 790 px at the bottom.

    Where it is written: Pinterest Help: Review Pin specs (read 29 October 2026)

    Details: Pinterest video Pin size

No date on a page does not prove that nothing changed. It means the platform has not said so there.

Read together, the changes point one way. The platforms are not banning AI. They are writing down what they treat as original and what they will recommend, and they are closing old programmes in favour of one, often by invitation.

• Originality: YouTube’s inauthentic content (15 July 2025), Meta’s definition of original (13 March 2026), Snap putting camera-made originals first (2 April 2026) and X’s Original Content Rewards (7 August 2026) all ask for something of your own in each video.
• AI labels: YouTube asks for disclosure of realistic AI content, TikTok requires a label for realistic AI content, Meta requires its disclosure tool for photorealistic video and realistic audio, and X requires one on AI video of an armed conflict (3 March 2026).
• Wholly AI-generated video: Snap stopped recommending it on Spotlight on 31 July 2026, even with a disclosure. We did not find the same rule on the other platforms’ pages.
• Fewer programmes: Snapchat folded Spotlight Rewards into one program (1 February 2025), Facebook folded three into content monetization (31 August 2025), and X replaced Revenue Sharing (7 August 2026).

None of these changes comes with a rate per view. YouTube’s 45% Shorts share, TikTok’s Scaled LIVE rewards and Meta’s USD 0.01 a Star are shares or amounts the platforms set out, and each platform says it decides who is paid.

Every entry comes from the platforms’ own pages, which our platform guides read and cite: help centres, terms, newsrooms, the platforms’ official blogs and creator sites. We used no third-party blogs, forums or search summaries. Each source line gives the day we read it; some pages draw their text only in a browser, so their reading date is older than this page’s.

We left out what the platforms do not publish: rates per view, how many creators earn, and dates they do not give. Nothing here is a forecast or a promise. Each platform decides who it accepts and pays, and its rules can change after the day we read them.