Google will let you request fewer ads about weight loss and dating

Image: Google

Users will be able to limit how many ads they see about dating, parenting, and weight loss, as well as being able to apply those settings to more places. The feature was introduced as a way to let people see fewer ads about gambling or alcoholic products, but now it seems that it is being expanded to cover other potentially uncomfortable or traumatic subjects.

Your settings will now apply to all of the Display network, not just the ads on YouTube. A group of more than 2 million websites, videos, and apps can be targeted by advertisers.

You can access the feature by going to your Ad settings page and scrolling toSensitive ad categories on YouTube. The page will warn you that you will still see the same number of ads, and ask you to confirm the choice. You can allow categories you have previously limited in the past.

While the sensitive ad categories feature should show fewer ads for products in each category you have chosen to limit, the topics may still appear in other ads. The company notes that it does not allow advertisers to personalize ads based on certain topics, like alcohol and gambling.

Gambling and drinking don't make a lot of appearances in general-audience ads, but some of the newly added categories could be difficult to avoid. An ad for gum may show people in a relationship, or an ad for razors may show a father. You can still see these types of ads if you want to, even if you've asked to limit them.

Even with those limitations, it's good to see that the company is trying to give people more control over their ads experience. It's the type of improvement that's good for the company and its users, you can choose to see fewer ads that could make you uncomfortable, and advertisers can better target a receptive audience.

In the future, the feature will be studied by which categories to expand and user feedback will be taken into account.