YouTube star James Charles has apologised after he admitted to messaging underage boys.
The beauty guru, shared a 14-minute video titled "holding myself accountable" and said he had engaged in "flirty" conversations with two 16-year-olds.
Mr Charles, who has more than 25 million subscribers on YouTube, said he believed the boys were 18 - the age of consent in California, where he lives - when they started talking on Snapchat.
He said: "In both of these cases, I added these people on Snapchat, asked how old they were right away, was told that they were 18, believed them, engaged in a flirty conversation and then later on found out that they were actually 16.
"Upon finding out, I was immediately embarrassed and blocked both people."
The 21-year-old added: "I f***** up. These conversations should’ve never happened, point blank, period. There is no excuse for it, there is no ifs, ands or buts and I take full responsibility for that."
The YouTuber said he should have taken a closer look at the boys’ social media profiles and realised their true ages.
He added: "As an adult, it is my job and my responsibility to verify who I’m talking to, and therefore there is no one else to blame for this but myself."
Apologising to the boys, Mr Charles said: "To the guys involved in the situation, I wanna say I’m sorry.
“I’m sorry that I flirted with you and I’m really sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable. It is completely unacceptable."
He said his behaviour was "reckless" and stemmed from the fact he is "desperate" for a relationship.
He said he is "absolutely" not looking for a younger boyfriend.
"My hope has always been to be in a relationship with somebody around my age or older that I can relate to or that can make me laugh and unfortunately, I have not been able to find that person yet," he said.
This is not the first time Mr Charles has been accused of inappropriate behaviour.
In 2019 he was accused of trying to "manipulate" people’s sexuality, with fellow YouTube star Tati Westbrook saying Mr Charles had tried to "trick a straight man into thinking he’s gay".
Following those allegations, Mr Charles shared a video, saying: “I’m sorry for everything that I put you through.”
Additional reporting by PA Media
