Did you know Google allows you to adjust the types of ads you see on the internet? If you don’t want to see any alcohol or gambling ads on YouTube, you can opt out. We’ll show you how to do it.
As you might already know, Google is responsible for delivering a lot of the ads you encounter while browsing the web. If you’re signed in to a Google account, those ads are personalized for you.
Google takes a bunch of things into consideration when personalizing ads. Some information, like your age and gender, is gathered from your Google account. Additional info, like your household income and marital status, is based on assumptions given your activity on Google services.
RELATED: How to Opt Out of Targeted Ads Around the Web
All of the information Google uses to personalize ads for you can be accessed via the Google Ad Settings dashboard. We’ll be changing the settings on this page to see fewer alcohol and gambling ads on YouTube.
To get started, visit the Google Ad Settings page in a web browser on your computer, phone, or tablet. Make sure you’re signed in to your Google account.
At the top of the page, you’ll see the “Ad Personalization” toggle. You can toggle this off to disable ad personalization completely. However, if you want some control over the types of ads you see, “Ad Personalization” needs to be toggled-On.
Scroll down to the “Ad Categories on YouTube” section. At this writing, this feature is in beta, so you might not see it yet.
Presently, there are two categories here (with more potentially coming in the future): “Alcohol” and “Gambling.” Click “See Fewer” next to the types of ads you no longer want to see.
A pop-up message will ask you to confirm; click “Continue.”
You’ll notice that under the category (or categories) you selected, it now says, “We’ll try not to show ads from this category.”
So, unfortunately, Google won’t guarantee that you won’t see any ads from the categories you selected. However, you should definitely see less of them in the future.
That’s all there is to it! Hopefully, you’ll now see less of the ads you find most annoying on YouTube.
