Advertiser-friendly content guidelines

Updated June 2019: This article now includes more examples of content that will receive limited or no ads. There are no policy changes which means you should not expect any difference in how your videos are assessed for advertiser friendliness.

If you’re in the YouTube Partner Program, you can monetize with ads. This article aims to help you understand which individual videos on your channel are suitable for advertisers. Our policies apply to all portions of your content (video or live stream, thumbnail, title, description, and tags). Learn more about our best practices.

Our systems don't always get it right, but you can request human review of decisions made by our automated systems.

Note: All content uploaded to YouTube must comply with our Community Guidelines. If your content violates our Community Guidelines, it may be removed from YouTube. If you see violative content, you can report it.

What you'll find in this article
You'll find examples of content not suitable for ads, and will result in a "limited or no ads" monetization state.

Here are all the main topics that are not advertiser-friendly:

Inappropriate language

Content that contains frequent uses of strong profanity or vulgarity throughout the video may not be suitable for advertising. Occasional use of profanity won’t necessarily result in your video being unsuitable for advertising, but context matters.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Inappropriate language	Profanity in the title or thumbnail image Strong profanity used repeatedly in a hateful or derogatory way Strong profanity used during the beginning part of the video Strong profanity used multiple times throughout the video even if bleeped or for comedy, documentary, news, or educational purposes

Violence

Content where the focal point is on blood, violence, or injury, when presented without additional context, is not suitable for advertising. If you're showing violent content in a news, educational, artistic, or documentary context, that additional context is important. Violence in the normal course of video gameplay is generally acceptable for advertising, but montages where gratuitous violence is the focal point is not.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Content containing gruesome, graphic, or disgusting accounts or imagery	Blood, guts, gore, sexual fluids, human or animal waste, crime scene or accident photos
Content depicting acts of violence	Accounts or images of shootings, explosions, or bombings; execution videos; violent acts committed against animals Content depicting cruelty or gratuitous violence toward animals, such as cockfighting, bullfighting, or dog fighting Videos that contain graphic violence in the context of physical altercations, public demonstrations, or police brutality Raw footage of war casualties with graphic depictions of injury or death Gratuitous violence against children, even if only dramatized or fictional Hunting videos with a focal point in graphical violence, animal death or suffering

Adult content

Adult Content
Content that features highly sexualized themes is not suitable for advertising, with limited exceptions for non-graphic sexual education videos. Stating your comedic intent is not sufficient and that content may still not be suitable for advertising.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Sexually explicit content	Graphic sexual acts or simulations intended to arouse Sexually explicit text or audio, to include explicit conversations about sex Content that may be interpreted as promoting a sexual act in exchange for compensation Raw footage of explicit animal mating scenes
Nudity	People or representations of people that display sexual body parts such as visible genitalia, nipples, or buttocks Content focused on sexual body parts that are blurred or censored Body art with a focus on nudity or intimate body parts
Sexually suggestive content	Content featuring implied sexual acts Content depicting fetishes in action or discussing fetishes Content about sex scandals or leaking of private intimate photos or videos Content related to the sex industry including sex-related entertainment Content discussing intimate sexual experiences such as masturbation, intercourse, or other sexual acts Content featuring sex toys, sexual devices, or other products intended to enhance sexual activity Content providing advice on sexual performance or recounting stories around performance

Harmful or dangerous acts

Content that promotes harmful or dangerous acts that result in serious physical, emotional, or psychological injury is not suitable for advertising.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Inappropriate pranks, challenges, dares, and stunts	Pranks relating to suicide, death, terrorism (like fake bomb scare pranks), or threats with firearms and other lethal weapons Sexually unwanted acts such as forced kissing, groping, or sexual abuse Shows physical harm or distress but is not the focus of the video. This guideline applies to acts performed in non-professional, non-controlled environments Content that induces prolonged emotional distress of a minor
Body modification and medical procedures	Invasive medical procedures, including cosmetic surgery Pimple-popping or in-grown toenail removal Skin implant procedures Tongue forking surgery
Content that threatens or advocates for physical or mental harm on oneself or others	Threatening someone with real-life harm Calling for the attack of another person
Harm to self, harm to others or harmed by others	Content related to suicide, eating disorders, bullying, harassment, domestic violence, or other forms of abuse and self-harm Content that promotes the use of weapons to inflict harm on others Content relating to cannibalism
Dangerous acts not to be imitated	Content showing the consumption of substances in such quantities that it results in a toxic reaction Failure compilations that include graphic harm and injury Subway or underground surfing Roof-topping Other challenge-based content, which if replicated may result in harm (like the fire challenge, kiki challenge, and bird box challenge)
Promoting or advocating for harmful health or medical claims or practices	Anti-vaccination, or AIDS denialist movements Non-medical treatments that promise to cure untreatable diseases Content, which implies serious medical conditions, does not exist, or are an elaborate hoax

Hateful content

Content that incites hatred against, promotes discrimination, disparages, or humiliates an individual or group of people based on the following is not suitable for advertising:

Race
Ethnicity or ethnic origin
Nationality
Religion
Disability
Age
Veteran status
Sexual orientation
Gender identity
Any other characteristic associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization

Content that is satire or comedy may be exempt. Stating your comedic intent is not sufficient and that content may still not be suitable for advertising.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Content that incites hatred against, promotes discrimination, disparages, or humiliates	Content promoting, glorifying, or condoning violence against others Content that encourages others to believe that a person or group is inhuman, inferior, or worthy of being hated Content promoting hate groups or hate group paraphernalia
Promoting terrorism and violent extremism	Content made by, or in support of terrorist groups Content that promotes terrorist acts, including recruitment Content that celebrates terrorist attacks

Incendiary and demeaning

Content that is gratuitously incendiary, inflammatory, or demeaning may not be suitable for advertising.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Content that is incendiary and demeaning	Content that focuses on shaming or insulting an individual or group
Content that harasses, intimidates, or bullies an individual or group of individuals	Content that singles out someone for abuse or harassment Content that suggests a tragic event did not happen, or that victims or their families are actors, or complicit in a cover-up of the event Malicious personal attacks, slander, and defamation

Recreational drugs and drug-related content

Content that promotes or features the following is not suitable for advertising:

Sale of illegal drugs, regulated drugs, or substances, or other dangerous products
Use of illegal drugs, regulated drugs, or substances, or other dangerous products
Abuse of illegal drugs, regulated drugs, or substances, or other dangerous products

Videos discussing drugs or dangerous substances for educational, documentary, and artistic purposes are generally suitable for advertising -- so long as drug use or substance abuse is not graphic or glorified.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Promoting substances that alter mental state for recreational purposes, or otherwise induce "highs"	Cocaine, crystal meth, heroin, marijuana, cocaine substitutes, mephedrone, "legal highs", bath salts
Promoting products or services marketed as facilitating recreational drug use	Pipes, bongs, cannabis coffee shops
Promoting instructional content about producing, purchasing, or using recreational drugs	Exchanging tips or recommendations on drug use

Tobacco-related content

Content that promotes tobacco and tobacco-related products is not suitable for advertising.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Promoting tobacco	Cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco
Promoting tobacco-related products	Tobacco pipes, rolling papers, vape pens
Promoting products designed to simulate tobacco smoking	Herbal cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping

Firearms-related content

Content focused on the sale, assembly, abuse, or misuse of firearms is not suitable for advertising.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Promoting the sale of a firearm	Sale of a firearm Sale of a firearm-related part or component that is essential to, or enhances the functionality of a firearm including: 80% finished gun-parts Ammunition Ammunition clips Silencers Ammunition belts Stocks Conversion kits Gun-grips Scopes Sights Promotional content for gun stores Manufacturers or discount codes for gun stores
Instructions about the assembly of any firearms including parts or components thereof	Firearm-making instructions, guides, software, or equipment for 3D printing of guns or gun parts
Abuse or misuse of a firearm	Content where firearms are discharged in unsafe environments

Controversial issues and sensitive events

Content that features or focuses on sensitive topics or events is generally not suitable for ads. This policy applies even if the content is purely commentary or contains no graphic imagery.

Examples (non-exhaustive)

Category	Limited or no ads
Sensitive events	War Death and tragedies
Controversial issues	Political conflicts Terrorism or extremism Sexual abuse

Adult themes in family content

Content that appears to be appropriate for a general audience but contains adult themes is not suitable for advertising. This guideline applies even if content is done for comedic or satirical purposes.

Examples (non-exhaustive)