NewJeans 'How Sweet' MV Age-Restricted By YouTube + HYBE Investigates Why

It has been revealed that NewJeans's music video for "How Sweet" has been age-restricted on YouTube.

The music video for NewJeans' new song "How Sweet" has been age-restricted on YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing site. As a result, both ADOR, NewJeans' management company, and Google, which owns YouTube, are looking into the situation. The music video is available on the HYBE Labels YouTube account.

As of May 27, the "How Sweet" music video, which was released on May 24, was discovered to have been age-restricted. This has sparked massive debate among Bunnies (NewJeans's fandom). It was noted that when YouTube's "Restricted Mode" is turned on, the "How Sweet" music video cannot be played.

Despite the high quality of the "How Sweet" music video, its viewership growth has been notably slower compared to NewJeans' "Bubble Gum," which was released on April 27. This has sparked immense discussion among fans.

For reference, the "Bubble Gum" music video surpassed ten million views in just one day after its release. On the other hand, the "How Sweet" music video had only reached 7.6 million views by the third day since its release.

Although the song performed well on domestic music platforms like Melon, where it peaked at number two on the charts, the relatively lower YouTube views sparked theories on social media platforms on why this release was growing so slowly.

Some netizens even placed the blame on HYBE, spreading unverified rumors on social media that HYBE had set the age restriction to reduce the music video’s reach. This comes amid ongoing conflicts between ADOR's CEO Min Hee Jin and HYBE.

HYBE has outright denied these rumors, stating, "HYBE does not set age restrictions when uploading music videos on YouTube. It is YouTube that classifies content as age-restricted based on its own criteria." Additionally, HYBE revealed they are investigating the manner and have requested YouTube's headquarters to clarify the standards that led to the age restriction. As of writing, they are still awaiting a response.

Some fans have speculated that the appearance of a Coca-Cola bottle in the "How Sweet" music video might have triggered YouTube’s algorithm to apply restrictions, mistaking the music video as an advertisement. Google is reportedly examining the technical aspects of this issue.

The music video for "How Sweet" showcases a refreshing story of the NewJeans members dealing with a car breakdown, featuring visually appealing scenes and the members' clean dance moves.

What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!

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Written by Alexa Lopez