Google tightens advertising rules to protect minors across its platforms

Ten days ago, on January 15, 2025, Google announced significant changes to its advertising policies aimed at protecting minors across its digital platforms. The consolidation of existing policies marks a substantial shift in how advertisers must navigate restrictions when targeting younger audiences.

According to the updated Google Advertising Policies documentation, the company is merging five distinct policies into a comprehensive Ad protections for children and teens policy hub. This consolidation encompasses policies for made-for-kids content, protections for children and teens, YouTube Kids advertising, and default ad treatment protocols.

The policy changes maintain existing enforcement mechanisms while reorganizing them for improved clarity. According to the documentation, advertisers must comply with stringent restrictions across multiple sensitive categories when their content might reach users under 18 years of age.

A detailed examination of the policies reveals extensive protections across YouTube, Google Display Ads, and Display & Video 360 campaigns. According to the Ad-serving protections for children policy, Google disables ad personalization for users under the digital age of consent. The platform restricts numerous sensitive advertising categories, including teen and adult media, beauty and cosmetics, and content containing violent or frightening elements.

The Ad-serving protections for teens policy implements similar safeguards for users above the digital age of consent but under 18. Notable restrictions include advertisements related to adult content, alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs, body modification, weight loss, dating services, and gambling.

For YouTube Kids, the platform's policies are particularly stringent. According to the documentation, all advertisements must receive pre-approval from YouTube's policy team before appearing in the YouTube Kids app. The platform prohibits numerous product categories, including food and beverages, beauty and fitness products, dating services, and political advertisements.

The policies address technical specifications for advertising formats. According to the YouTube Kids documentation, video advertisements must adhere to strict time limits: 15-20 seconds for non-skippable ads and 60 seconds for skippable content, excluding a mandatory 3-second ad bumper. Additionally, destination URLs and outbound links, including call-to-action overlays and infocards, are disabled within the app.

Data collection practices face substantial restrictions. According to the policies, interest-based advertising is prohibited in YouTube Kids, and advertisements with remarketing or tracking pixels cannot be served. These measures align with various child-directed regulations, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC), and the Australia Online Safety Act (AU OSA).

For content designated as "made for kids," advertisers face additional constraints. The policies prohibit deceptive practices, including incitement to purchase and unsubstantiated claims. Advertisements must not imply that products will enhance social status or include non-functional features or calls-to-action.

The Default Ads Treatment policy implements additional safeguards for users who are not signed in or whom Google's systems identify as under 18. This policy restricts sensitive categories including adult content, pornography, alcohol, gambling, and shocking content.

These policy changes reflect ongoing regulatory scrutiny of digital advertising practices affecting minors. The consolidation aims to simplify compliance for advertisers while maintaining robust protections across Google's advertising ecosystem.

The policy hub addresses various technical aspects of implementation, from video format requirements to data collection restrictions. This granular approach demonstrates the complexity of protecting younger users while maintaining advertising functionality across diverse digital platforms.

While the announcement emphasizes that no enforcement changes accompany this consolidation, the reorganization signals Google's continued focus on minor protection in digital advertising. The comprehensive policy framework addresses concerns about data privacy, content appropriateness, and advertising transparency for users under 18.

The timing of these changes, announced in mid-January 2025, gives advertisers advance notice to familiarize themselves with the consolidated framework. This reorganization affects advertising across multiple Google platforms, requiring careful consideration from marketers targeting or potentially reaching younger audiences.

These policy changes maintain existing protections while improving documentation accessibility. The consolidation creates a centralized resource for advertisers to understand their obligations when serving advertisements that might reach minors across Google's platforms.