What are the rules for advertising to teens on YouTube?
Part of YouTube brand safety
The short answer
Google does not let advertisers target ads only to teens under 18. Its ad-serving protections for teens turn off ads personalization on accounts of users under 18 and restrict sensitive categories such as alcohol, gambling, weight loss, dating and contests on YouTube, Display and Search. Reaching teens therefore runs through context: the channels and videos a plan chooses.
Key takeaways
- Google Ads says advertisers can't target ads to show only to teens under 18; its age ranges start at 18 to 24, plus Unknown.
- On Google Accounts of users under 18, Google does not allow ads personalization and restricts sensitive ad categories, and the policy covers YouTube, Display and Search campaigns and Display & Video 360 users.
- Google announced the block on age, gender and interest targeting for under 18s on August 10, 2021; on July 29, 2025 YouTube began estimating ages for a small set of US users to apply teen protections.
- A channel popular with teens is a contextual choice, so brands in restricted categories need channel level exclusions, not just account settings.
Can advertisers target teens on YouTube?
Not by age. Google's demographic targeting page (opens in a new tab) states that advertisers can't target ads to show only to teens under 18. The age ranges it offers begin at 18 to 24 and run to 65 and over, with a sixth group, Unknown, which refers to people whose age, gender, parental status or household income Google has not identified. Unknown is a gap in Google's data, not a teen segment, and treating it as one would put adults and teens in the same bucket.
| Option | Status for viewers under 18 | What a planner can do |
|---|---|---|
| Age ranges | No range below 18 to 24; targeting only teens is not possible | Leave age broad; do not use Unknown as a stand in for teens |
| Ads personalization | Not allowed on accounts of users under 18 | Expect interest and audience lists to exclude teen accounts |
| Sensitive ad categories | Restricted on accounts of users under 18 | Check the product against the list before the plan starts |
| Channels and videos chosen by the planner | Available, as contextual placements | Pick content that fits the brand; exclude what does not |
A brand that wants teen viewers reaches them through what they watch, such as study help, sports highlights, music or gaming, and the same placements also reach adults. A brand that must avoid teens cannot rely on age targeting either, since Google's teen protections work on the viewer's account, not on the channel.
What did Google change about ads to users under 18?
The current rules trace back to an August 10, 2021 post on Google's Keyword blog (opens in a new tab) by Mindy Brooks, GM, Kids and Family. It announced that Google would block ad targeting based on the age, gender or interests of people under 18, and would expand safeguards to prevent age-sensitive ad categories from being shown to teens. The same post said YouTube would make the most private upload setting the default for teens ages 13 to 17 and turn off autoplay for users under 18.
we will block ad targeting based on the age, gender, or interests of people under 18.
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| August 10, 2021 | Announced the block on age, gender and interest targeting for under 18s and wider safeguards on age-sensitive categories | Google Keyword blog |
| Current policy, undated | Ad-serving protections for teens: Don't allow ads personalization and Restrict sensitive ad categories on Google Accounts of users under 18 | Advertising Policies Help 12205906 |
| July 29, 2025 | YouTube began rolling out machine learning to estimate the age of a small set of US users, and applies teen protections, including disabling personalized advertising, to those identified as teens | YouTube Official Blog |
The 2025 change means teen protections no longer depend only on the birthday a user typed in. YouTube's July 29, 2025 post (opens in a new tab) by James Beser says the system weighs signals such as the types of videos a user is searching for, the categories of videos they have watched and the age of the account.
Which ad categories are restricted for teens?
Google's ad-serving protections for teens (opens in a new tab) list restricted categories and say the list is not exhaustive. The restrictions apply to YouTube, Google Display and Search ad campaigns, and Display & Video 360 users must comply too. The teen list overlaps with Google's made for kids list but is not the same; a product allowed for teens may still be barred on made for kids content.
| Category on the teen list | Teen accounts (under 18) | Made for kids content |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs, including e-cigarettes | Restricted | Restricted |
| Gambling, betting, lotteries and casino style games | Restricted | Restricted |
| Cosmetic procedures, weight loss, tanning, piercings and tattoos | Restricted | Beauty and cosmetics and weight loss restricted |
| Dating services and relationship advice | Restricted | Restricted |
| Contests and sweepstakes, even free ones | Restricted | Restricted |
| Pharmaceuticals, medications, vitamins and supplements | Restricted | Restricted |
| Complex speculative financial products | Restricted | Restricted |
| Food and beverage | Not on the teen list | Restricted, regardless of nutritional content |
How should a plan treat channels popular with teens?
The answer depends on which side of the restricted lists the brand sits. In Canada, Clause 13 of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (opens in a new tab) says products prohibited from sale to minors must not be advertised in such a way as to appeal particularly to persons under legal age, and that people featured in those ads must be clearly seen to be adults under the law. A teen heavy channel is a poor fit for those products whatever the account settings do. For brands outside the restricted lists, teen popular channels are ordinary contextual inventory, judged on content like any other.
Planning channels popular with teens
- Place the product against both lists. Check Google's teen list and, for Canada, Clause 13's legal age rule, and record the result on the brief.
- Read the content, not the audience guess. Judge each channel by what its recent videos are about, since Google offers no teen age range to confirm who watches.
- Separate teen popular from made for kids. A channel teens love is not a children's channel; check YouTube's own label on each row, and see the made for kids misclassification guide when the label looks wrong.
- Exclude by channel for restricted brands. Add teen heavy channels to a placement exclusion list at account, campaign or ad group level when the product is age restricted.
- Keep creative age neutral where codes require it. For age restricted products, feature adults who are clearly of legal age, as Clause 13 requires.
Google's placement exclusions page (opens in a new tab) says advertisers can add specific unwanted YouTube channels or videos to an account level exclusion list, and that new exclusions typically take effect within 12 hours. Exclusions remove placements; they do not verify the age of a single viewer, so a written channel rationale remains the brand's record.
What state laws affect teen advertising?
US state privacy laws add rules for minors' data. They concern personal data, so contextual buys raise different questions than audience lists. The CCPA regulations (opens in a new tab), effective January 1, 2026, say in section 7071 that a business with actual knowledge that it sells or shares the personal information of consumers at least 13 and less than 16 years of age must establish a reasonable process for them to opt in; section 7070 requires parent or guardian consent under 13.
| Jurisdiction | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California | Opt in required to sell or share data of consumers 13 to 15 where the business has actual knowledge; parent or guardian consent under 13 | CCPA regulations sections 7070 and 7071, effective January 1, 2026 |
| Connecticut | Effective July 1, 2026, processing minors' personal data for targeted advertising or sale is prohibited, per the Attorney General | Connecticut Attorney General, July 2, 2026 |
| Canada (federal guidance) | As a best practice, organizations should avoid tracking children and tracking on websites aimed at children | Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada guidelines, modified August 11, 2025 |
The Connecticut Attorney General (opens in a new tab) listed that prohibition among Connecticut Data Privacy Act safeguards effective July 1, 2026. In Canada, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (opens in a new tab) says it is difficult to ensure meaningful consent from children to online behavioural advertising. The New York Child Data Protection Act guide and the US state privacy laws overview cover other states.
What does a teen channel plan look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A basketball shoe brand plans teen popular channels in California
An unnamed basketball shoe brand wants YouTube ads in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento, in English, around a back to school release. Its buyers include high school players, and its product is not on Google's teen restricted list.
The planner leaves age targeting broad, since teens cannot be targeted by age, and builds a channel list of high school basketball highlights, skills training, sneaker review and court build channels. Each row carries YouTube's made for kids label; two youth training channels set as made for kids are moved to a separate contextual line item with creative reviewed for children.
The brand's planned sweepstakes for a signed pair is kept off the teen popular list, since contests and sweepstakes are restricted for users under 18, and runs instead on a list aimed at adult collectors. The plan records each choice with its source.
How does PlacementGraph help plan channels by content rather than age?
Teen reach on YouTube comes from content choice, which is the part of the plan PlacementGraph builds.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Unknown age group in Google Ads mean teens?
No. Google Ads Help says Unknown refers to people whose age, gender, parental status or household income Google has not identified. It describes missing data, not an age group, so it should not be described to a client as a teen audience.
Do Google's teen protections apply to Display & Video 360 buys?
Yes. Google's ad-serving protections for teens say Display & Video 360 users must also comply, and that Display & Video 360 has additional restrictions in its own help center. The policy names YouTube, Google Display and Search ad campaigns, and says it may expand to more products.
What happens when YouTube wrongly estimates an adult as a teen?
YouTube's July 29, 2025 post says a user estimated to be under 18 will have the option to verify that they are 18 or over, using a credit card or a government ID. The post says protections such as disabled personalized advertising apply to users identified as teens.
Can an age restricted product advertise in Canada on channels teens watch?
Clause 13 of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards says products prohibited from sale to minors must not be advertised in a way that appeals particularly to persons under legal age, and Google restricts those categories for users under 18. The Code speaks to the ad's appeal, so channel choice and creative both count.
Sources
- Ad-serving protections for teens (opens in a new tab)Google Advertising Policies Help
- About demographic targeting (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Giving kids and teens a safer experience online (August 10, 2021) (opens in a new tab)Google, The Keyword
- Extending our built-in protections to more teens on YouTube (July 29, 2025) (opens in a new tab)YouTube Official Blog
- Ads and made for kids content (advertising policy) (opens in a new tab)Google Advertising Policies Help
- California Consumer Privacy Act Regulations, effective January 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)California Privacy Protection Agency
- Attorney General Tong to Big Tech: Hooking Kids on Addictive Apps is Illegal in Connecticut (July 2, 2026) (opens in a new tab)Connecticut Office of the Attorney General
- Guidelines on privacy and online behavioural advertising (opens in a new tab)Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
- The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (opens in a new tab)Ad Standards
- About placement exclusions (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.