YouTube shuts down video featuring DeSantis that suggests children do not need to wear masks

YouTube quickly moved to axe a video featuring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and several "experts" questioning the effectiveness of mask-wearing among children.

According to The Wrap, the American Institute for Economic Research's video featured DeSantis engaging in a roundtable discussion with a number of public health advisors including former President Donald Trump's inexperienced coronavirus advisor Dr. Scott Atlas, Oxford epidemiologist Dr. Sunetra Gupta, Harvard professor Dr. Martin Kulldorff, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya from Stanford University.

The discussion transcript details the group's condemnation of children wearing masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them agreed masks were not necessary for children. "Children should not wear face masks. No. They don't need it for their own protection and they don't need it for protecting other people either," Kulldorff said at one point during the discussion.

Shortly after the video was removed, a YouTube representative released a statement explaining the reason for the removal. According to the rep, the doctors' repeated claims about children not needing to wear masks is what led to the video removal.

"YouTube has clear policies around COVID-19 medical misinformation to support the health and safety of our users," a rep said in a statement on Thursday, April 8. "We removed AIER's video because it included content that contradicts the consensus of local and global health authorities regarding the efficacy of masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

The statement continued, "We allow videos that otherwise violate our policies to remain on the platform if they contain sufficient educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic context. Our policies apply to everyone, and focus on content regardless of the speaker or channel."