American online video sharing and social media platform YouTube will no longer be accepting ads relating to alcohol, gambling, politics, or “prescription drug terms” for its ad slot.

In an email to advertisers, YouTube said the change built on its move last year to retire all full-day masthead ads. It said it has retired these full-day reservations, like the one then-President Donald Trump reserved to dominate its homepage on Election Day 2020, and replaced them with more targeted formats.

“We regularly review our advertising requirements to ensure they balance the needs of both advertisers and users,” a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We believe this update will build on changes we made last year to the masthead reservation process and will lead to a better experience for users,” they added.

Buy Me a Coffee

Google said that the change to its most prominent ad unit, which was first reported by Axios, was effective immediately.

Google paused political ads altogether around the U.S. presidential election and again ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January this year, citing its policy over sensitive events

READ
Australia Passes Landmark Social Media Ban for Users Under 16