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Did you know Google allows you to adjust the types of ads you see on the internet? If you don't want to see any alcohol or gambling ads on YouTube—and other types of ads, too—you can opt-out. We'll show you how to do it.

Why am I Seeing Alcohol and Gambling Ads on YouTube?

As you might already know, Google is responsible for delivering a large chunk of the ads you encounter while browsing the web, especially on the company's own product. If you're signed in to a Google account, those ads are personalized to your browsing habits.

Google takes a bunch of things into consideration when personalizing ads. Some information, like your age and gender, is gathered from your Google account. Additional info, like your household income and marital status, is based on assumptions given your activity on Google services.

All of the information Google uses to personalize ads for you can be accessed via Google's "My Ad Center" dashboard. We'll be changing the settings on this page to see fewer alcohol and gambling ads on YouTube, but it can be used for ads from Google that appear across the web.

Turn Off Alcohol and Gambling Ads on YouTube

To get started, visit the My Ad Center dashboard in a web browser on your computer, phone, or tablet. Make sure you're signed in to your Google account.

At the top of the page, you'll see the "Personalized Ads" setting. You can toggle this off to disable ad personalization completely. However, if you want some control over the types of ads you see, it needs to be toggled on.

ad personalization needs to be on

Next, switch to the "Customize Ads" tab at the bottom of the screen.

the customize ads tab on my ad center

Select the "Sensitive" tab.

the sensitive tab on the customize ads page

You'll see a list of topics that can be toggled on or off. Turn off "Alcohol," "Gambling," and anything else that catches your eye.

youtube ad personalization settings

Unfortunately, Google can't guarantee that you won't see any ads from the categories you selected. However, you should definitely see less of them in the future. That's all there is to it! Hopefully, you'll now see less of the ads you find most annoying on YouTube.