YouTube begins crackdown on Premium Family Plan accounts

YouTube has begun cracking down on Premium Family Plan accounts amid a new policy. Similar to how Netflix works, all household members now need to live in the same household as the family manager.

Users attempting to access the service from a different location are now receiving emails about the matter. A Reddit post revealed that affected members will have their subscription paused in 14 days.

Services to be paused in 14 days for different household/country
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The change is based on YouTube’s existing terms, which note that family members must reside in the same address. Should your account be paused, you will still be in the family member’s subscription, but with no Premium benefits.

YouTube is making proactive efforts to curb account sharing and increase subscription revenue. Affected users will need to subscribe individually to continue using YouTube Premium.

At the moment, there’s no option for discounted add-ons either. The company has yet to announce a plan introducing a partial subscription or sharing system.

For reference, YouTube Premium offers an ad-free viewing experience, background play, offline downloads, and access to YouTube Music. The Family Plan allows up to five additional members but is now strictly limited to those living in the same household.