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YouTube store ads and app ad requirements

Note: Google provides translated versions of our Help Centre. They are not meant to change the content of our policies. The English version is the official language that we use to enforce our policies. To view this article in a different language, use the language drop-down at the bottom of the page.

All YouTube store ads and app ads must comply with our advertising policies, and all products served within a YouTube ad must also comply with our Shopping ads policies. This article outlines the additional requirements that your products must meet to serve within YouTube Ads.

Automated content policy decision

​We use a combination of automated and human evaluation to ensure that YouTube store ads and app ads comply with these policies. Our enforcement technologies use algorithms and machine learning, modelled on human reviewers' decisions, to help protect our customers and keep our ad platforms safe. More complex, nuanced or severe cases are often reviewed and evaluated by our specially trained experts.

Quality checks

YouTube store ads and app ads can't have:

  • Blurred, distorted, incomplete, unclear or poorly cropped images
  • Images that contain overlaid elements

YouTube store ads and app ads must meet the Google Ads editorial standards.

Prohibited categories

Uncomfortable content
YouTube store ads and app ads depicting pornography, sexually suggestive content, nudity or unnecessarily exposed body parts
  • Examples:
    • Sex toys, erotic DVDs or sexually suggestive lingerie promotions
    • Visible genitalia, female breasts or bare buttocks
YouTube store ads and app ads containing gratuitous portrayals of invasive medical procedures, bodily fluids and waste, disgusting content or shocking content
  • Examples:
    • Dental procedures, images of organs or blood
    • Animal and meat products
Dating
YouTube store ads and app ads related to dating offers or intimate meetings
  • Examples:
    • Hook-up or fling dating content
    • Coupons or gift cards for swinger dating sites
Cash giveaways
YouTube store ads and app ads advertising cash sweepstakes, cash giveaways, paid surveys and questionnaires, or any cash products aimed at spamming or misleading customers
Nervous or unsafe content
YouTube store ads and app ads that are likely to make the viewer feel nervous, threatened, fearful, in danger, ashamed or self-conscious
  • Examples:
    • Toys of wounded humans or animals, toys of scary animals or creatures
    • Masks, clothes or accessories that contain dangerous or fearful symbols or images
Violent or criminal content
YouTube store ads and app ads that depict violence or criminality
  • Examples:
    • Products that resemble firearms
    • Products containing images of prisons, criminals or arrests
Inappropriate substances
YouTube store ads and app ads containing images of illegal, regulated or harmful substances
  • Examples:
    • Drugs, tobacco or cigarettes
    • Needles, intoxication, addiction or images containing these items and implying drug use
    • Alcoholic drinks
Misery or unhappy events
YouTube store ads and app ads that depict or correlate to unhappy life events in a way that would likely make the viewer uncomfortable
  • Examples:
    • Products related to death or funerals, such as coffins, condolence flowers and graveyards
    • YouTube store ads and app ads related to divorce, breakups or family separation
    • Images containing vehicle accidents, emergencies, injuries or hospital visits
    • Depiction of natural or man-made disasters
Media content
YouTube store ads and app ads such as movies, TV shows, news channels and video games that show gory content
  • Examples:
    • Video games containing shocking images
    • T-shirts, hats or other products containing violent content from a TV show scene
Political content
YouTube store ads and app ads related to elections or politics, including political figures, political news, elections or voting
  • Examples:
    • Products relating to political organisations, political parties, political issue advocacy or fundraising and individual candidates and politicians
Gambling content
YouTube store ads and app ads that depict or reference gambling-related content, including lottery, offline gambling, online gambling, online non-casino games and social casino games
If you're working with a third-party platform, some of these instructions may not apply to you. Refer to your third-party platform for instructions on how to resolve the issue and request a review. Learn how to find support if you use a non-Google platform.

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