Google Ads said it will update its Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) ads policy this coming January. Google said this is being done as part of a "redesign of the policy, and to improve protections, clarity and transparency."
Google will update the header of the policy to "Child Safety." It will also be restructured as a standalone policy, outside of the Inappropriate Content Policy.
The policy will incorporate a broad spectrum of related violations across two expanded policy labels. This redesign "reaffirms" Google's commitment to maintaining a safe, trustworthy, and responsible advertising ecosystem. Google said it will "continue to strictly prohibit content that harms, exploits, or endangers minors (anyone under 18)."
Here is a copy of the updated policy as Google posted it:
Child Safety
Google Ads is deeply committed to maintaining a safe, trustworthy, and responsible advertising ecosystem. We strictly prohibit any content that harms, exploits, or endangers minors (anyone under 18).
We invest heavily in fighting child sexual abuse and exploitation online, and we additionally work to mitigate the risk that benign content is exploited or misused. Learn more about how Google is fighting online child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Our global Child Safety protections cover all content formats including audio, text, and visual media such as imagery and videos, whether real, fictional, simulated, cartoon, AI-generated, or photoshopped.
Egregious Child Safety Violations
We do not allow any content that promotes or facilitates child sexual abuse or exploitation (CSAE).
Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)
- Offering, advertising, or soliciting CSAM
- Instructions on how to create CSAM or how to abuse, groom or sexually extort a child
- Content that sexualizes minors, or that promotes, encourages or glorifies child sexual abuse and exploitation
- Grooming a child for sexual purposes
- Sextortion
- Trafficking of a child
Other Child Safety Violations
We do not allow content that, while maybe not inherently illegal or harmful, has a heightened vulnerability to being misused or repurposed for sexually exploitative purposes.
Examples (non-exhaustive):
- Non-sexual depictions of child nudity
Google said it will begin enforcing the new Child Safety policy from January 11, 2027.
Review this policy update to determine whether or not any of your ads fall in scope of the policy, and if so, remove those ads before this date. Learn more about what happens if you violate our policies.
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