> But Soph’s popularity raises another, perhaps more difficult question, about whether YouTube has an obligation to protect such users from themselves — and one another.
It's nice to see a publication so seriously grapple with the issues of free speech in the digital age. :|
What does that have to do with the 1st Amendment? "Free speech" means the government can't pass laws regulating protected free speech, but not all speech is constitutionally protected. Youtube, Facebook, etc. are businesses. They are in no way obligated to host your content for free. Just go pay for your own hosting if you find the free platform's policies too restrictive. Besides hate speech is not legally considered constitutionally protected speech anyways, so it's a moot point.
The article says she's 14. Her videos go back at least 3 years. Isn't YT worried about COPPA?