Shane Dawson: YouTube star says sorry for suggesting he had searched for paedophilia online

Hosts warned Mr Dawson that he could be arrested for having such a discussion

Shane Dawson, a popular YouTube star, has apologised after new video appeared to show him jokingly endorsing paedophilia and suggesting he had searched for images of children.

The video, apparently taken from a six-year-old podcast, saw Mr Dawson suggest that he had searched for "naked baby" on Google and that what he found there was "sexy". He has said since that the video showed him joking, and assuming an intentionally inflammatory character.

"I went to Google and I'm like, I want to see," he said in the audio. "I didn't want to see child porn, I just wanted to see like – OK, let me just pretend like I'm a paedophile for a sec."

At that point, a host interrupts to say that she had nothing to do with the story, and that Mr Dawson could be arrested for what he had done.

"So I typed in naked baby. First of all, I don't understand why anybody would be turned on by that. But, they were sexy. I'm kidding."

Mr Dawson has confirmed that the comments were made by him. But he said in a video that during that time he was intentionally saying inflammatory things, in the hope of making people laugh with shock.

The apology video has already been seen more than 3 million times, and is the top of YouTube's "trending" list of popular videos. In it, he disavows the comments and looks to disassociate himself from them, while suggesting that they would be improved by the context.

"I grew up," he wrote on Twitter. "I changed my content. I apologized countless times for my shitty offensive jokes. instead of dragging me down people should use me as an example of a creator who can CHANGE and better themselves and their content. I’m so proud of who I am today."

The controversy came the same day that YouTube announced it would be severing ties with Logan Paul, another famous YouTuber who has been criticised for controversial posts. After the star posted a video of himself laughing next to a man's corpse, the site said that it would no longer make films with him or have him as part of his preferred ad programme.