Insights & Trends

In YouTube Studio, the box for automatic chapters is checked by default on every new upload. But the feature has limits. Some videos never qualify, and not every eligible video gets chapters. For everything the built-in version misses, the job falls to a dedicated AI tool.

Watch time decides how far YouTube pushes a video, more than almost any other signal you control. The longer people stay on a video, the more often YouTube shows it to new viewers.

Kids content grew faster than any other YouTube niche in September 2026, and it pays the least. Kids channels with 10,000 to 100,000 subscribers gained a median 1.59% subscribers a month in TubeAI's study of 144,370 channels, yet the niche earns a median $0.33 per 1,000 views in AIR Media-Tech's data from 300 channels. Education and science grow more slowly and pay $10.22.

Since October 1, YouTube has changed which Shorts it recommends. Original videos get more reach, and channels that mostly re-upload other creators' clips get less. Additionally, YouTube is testing a $20 payment threshold and a cleanup option instead of termination for some spam violations, and it now pauses features on channels that appear hacked. US viewers can now save several custom feeds, and the YouTube mobile app got a new Home top bar, and more. Here's what you need to know.