Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Reports of sexually explicit ads appearing on YouTube have gone up significantly, with users getting increasingly concerned about the platform’s content moderation efforts.
- A new incident shared on Reddit involves a child mistaking an adult film actor in a pornographic ad for a popular game streamer while watching Fortnite videos on the YouTube.
- Although the platform has previously claimed that it diligently monitors and blocks inappropriate ads, growing evidence suggests more robust safeguards are needed urgently.
YouTube’s bad ads problem seems to be getting even more pervasive, with a clear failure in content moderation highlighted by a growing number of reports on platforms like Reddit. In the latest incident, a Redditor describes how their young nephew was exposed to an explicit ad while watching a Fortnite stream by the well-known YouTuber Loserfruit.
“My 7yr nephew was watching Loserfruit (Fortnite streamer) and then came up to me asking what Loserfruit is doing because this ad started playing,” the concerned uncle shared.
What makes matters worse is that the pornographic ad, which was shared on Reddit, led the child to mistakenly believe that the adult film actor depicted in the ad was Loserfruit herself, further highlighting a profound lack of safety for YouTube’s youngest users.
“He just asked me what is she doing and why isn’t she playing a game?” the Redditor wrote, emphasizing the child’s innocence and confusion.
The growing cases of inappropriate ads on YouTube
If you use YouTube, you’re likely aware that this isn’t the first instance of inappropriate advertisements appearing on the platform. For years, users have encountered questionable ads, but a quick look at the fan-managed YouTube subreddit reveals that the issue has significantly worsened.
Over the past few months, reports similar to the one mentioned above have become increasingly common, highlighting a growing problem with ad content moderation on YouTube.
It also appears that the problem is not just limited to advertisements, but NSFW bot accounts on the platform are also spreading nuisance in the comments section of many popular videos.
In fact, the prevalence of bad ads and other changes on YouTube throughout last year left many users deeply dissatisfied with the platform. In a poll conducted by Android Authority, over 80% of the 24,000 participants expressed that they were not at all happy with the state of YouTube in 2024.
What is YouTube doing about it?
When we brought up a particluar set of NSFW ads on YouTube last year, the platform promptly removed them, and promised to fight such content more strictly going forward.
“We have strict policies against ads with sexually explicit content. If we find any ads that violate this policy, we remove them,” a YouTube spokesperson previously told Android Authority.
“In 2023, we blocked or removed over 5.5 billion ads, slightly up from the prior year, and suspended 12.7 million advertiser accounts, nearly double from the previous year,” the platform told us at the time.
YouTube needs to rethink its ad vetting processes
Google also uses AI to detect bad ads, and claimed that in 2023, it blocked or removed 35 million ads in financial services advertising, sexual content, misrepresentation, and gambling.
However, even with it’s on-going efforts, the growing incidents of sexually explicit ads on YouTube underscore an urgent need for the platform to rethink its ad vetting processes. The lack of effective moderation not only harms YouTube’s reputation as a reliable streaming service, but also raises questions about the safety of its audience.
What can you do to protect yourself from inappropriate ads on YouTube?
The easiest (but probably not the most pocket-friendly) way to protect yourself from bad ads on YouTube is to get a YouTube Premium subscription. The paid service not only ensures you don’t come across any ads (NSFW or otherwise), but also saves you from YouTube’s latest ploy of showing hour-long advertisements to those still using ad blockers on the platform.
If you have young children watching YouTube, you could consider using YouTube Kids. The dedicated app offers a safer and simpler YouTube experience with age-appropriate content and tools that can help parents and other adults moderate a child’s viewing experince.
