Popular vlogger and YouTube personality Logan Paul is facing backlash from fans, critics and average Internet users as a result of a video he uploaded recently. In the clip, Paul and several of his friends allegedly found a corpse while exploring Japan's Aokigahara forest, otherwise known as the "Suicide Forest" due to the high rate of suicides and attempted suicides that take place there.
The video, which has since been removed, depicted Paul and his companions stumbling upon what appeared to be the body of a suicide victim hanging from a tree. Social media users have criticized the group for allegedly laughing and making jokes about the tragedy.
Image this: Logan Paul trying to frame up a dangling corpse in the background of a photograph for his thumbnail. Just a little to the left....
--- Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) January 2, 2018
Paul claims this wasn't the case, however, tweeting that he sometimes forgets how large his reach is on YouTube. He further admitted that, for the first time, he "handled [his] power incorrectly."
Though Paul did not monetize the video and says he only intended to "raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention," many other popular YouTubers have come forward to accuse the star of attempting to capitalize on the tragedy for the sake of exposure.
Paul's full written apology can be seen in the following tweet:
Dear Internet, pic.twitter.com/42OCDBhiWg
--- Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 2, 2018
In a statement to Polygon, YouTube also made it clear that they do not support such content:
"Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video. YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner. If a video is graphic, it can only remain on the site when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information and in some cases it will be age-gated. We partner with safety groups such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to provide educational resources that are incorporated in our YouTube Safety Center."
Emergency services arrived on the scene later in the video to investigate the situation.
Though Logan Paul's video was particularly disturbing to many, this is far from the first time a popular YouTube personality has been criticized for making jokes in poor taste. In 2017, YouTuber PewDiePie faced widespread backlash for making "anti-Semitic" jokes in one of his videos.