YouTube duo Ethan and Hila ‘H3H3’ Klein discussed the controversy around online counseling service Better Help, which is currently undergoing massive scrutiny for its terms of service.
The two were featured in a video by current YouTube king Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg, who used their footage in a compilation of other YouTubers who had promoted the service on videos about mental health.
- Read More: PewDiePie calls out YouTubers for making mental health based videos to promote BetterHelp
Ethan felt that the use of his footage in the compilation wrongly suggested that he had advertised the service in his September ‘Update’ video, which did not occur.
“The way it’s cut makes it look like my ‘Update’ video is sponsored by Better Help,” he stated on the H3 Podcast. “…that gives totally the wrong impression. I’ve never talked about Better Help and depression ever.”
Ethan contacted PewDiePie out of concern about this potential misunderstanding, and felt as though Kjellberg were ‘calling him out.’ PewDiePie has since followed up with a comment clarifying the cut underneath his video on the subject.
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The clip in question was taken from YouTuber Bobby Burns’ video titled, ‘The Reason YouTubers Have Breakdowns,’ which uses a segment of Hila and Ethan’s ‘Update’ video and features a sponsorship from Better Help.
While Ethan is concerned over the site’s TOS, he disagreed with claims that YouTubers who partner with Better Help are taking advantage of their fans’ mental health, citing the service’s ownership by a publicly traded company and broad advertisement across the internet.
“It’s a perfectly rational decision to think that it’s a good, useful service,” he stated.
While H3H3 had read for the company once before in a previous segment, their ‘Update’ video does not contain any such endorsement.