The number one video website in the world has agreed to put out a tool for its users to hide gambling and alcohol ads they don’t like and don’t want to view. YouTube said it has been getting feedback from people that they would love to limit the number of ads that they are seeing. It appears that gambling and alcohol make the top two categories that users complained of.
Since online gambling is steadily increasing year to year, concerns have been raised over the negative impacts it could have on children and young people. Hence, the need to provide a way for those browsing the internet to do so in a safer environment.
But YouTube said that the new feature has no guarantee that users will be able to filter out all the unwanted ads. YouTube issued a new statement that reinforced that idea. The statement said- “We are launching a new control in ad settings, enabling people to see fewer alcohol ads, with gambling as an additional option.” The use of the ‘fewer’ means not all the ads will be gone for those who turn on the setting.
This new feature will be rolled out in the U.S first and then later in the U.K and other countries. People expect to see them next year. It will show alongside another already existing feature that allows people to adjust personalized ads.
Since Google owns YouTube, it plans to make use of this feature in Google ads at a later date. For the countries that already regulate or restrict this category of ads, nothing will be changed on their browsers.
There are growing concerns that technology is bringing alcohol and gambling marketing into places that people thought it would never reach. For those who are struggling with addictions, presenting such ads at almost every place makes it harder for them to cope.
Worldwide, gambling sites are growing and have more than doubled during the pandemic. What YouTube plans to do will limit the number of times people are able to see those ads.
