Google Ads has updated the sexual content policies to "provide additional examples and clearer information to advertisers," the company wrote. The main section that was updated was the "Sexually suggestive elements and themes" section.
The Sexually suggestive elements and themes section breaks down the non-graphic content that hints at or evokes sexual themes like suggestive language, body positions, and scenarios where sex is implied.
Here is a copy and paste of the new content added to the doc:
Non-graphic sex in language
Sex is evoked through words, language, text, or sounds without explicit graphic details.
Restricted examples
- References to sex acts like having a threesome, orgy, or oral sex
- References to sexual preferences like "I'm interested in MILFs"
- Suggestive moaning, heavy breathing, or sighing
Allowed examples
- Purely romantic or affectionate descriptions, like "the warmth of his touch", with no reference to sex
- Sounds of physical exertion from non-sexual activities like exercise
- References to sex or intimacy in a general way, using euphemistic terms like "making love", "spending the night", or "hooking up", without details or references to specific sex acts
Non-graphic sex in imagery
Visual content that suggests sex acts without showing explicit details. This includes cues that imply sex is about to happen, is happening, or just finished, often using body positions, obscured views, or symbolic objects.
Restricted examples
- Humping movements under bed sheets
- An image of a person going under the sheets with a partner, implying oral sex is about to happen
- A video of a couple lying together in bed, one person on top of the other, with eyes closed and bodies touching in a suggestive position
- Kissing while appearing unclothed, without showing nudity
- A person sitting in another person's lap in a state-of-undress
- Movements of a hand under a blanket near the waist, with heavy breathing, but no explicit visuals.
Allowed examples
- Romantic but non-suggestive poses such as holding hands on a couch
- A scene with passionate kissing in the background that's not the main focus
Body movements, poses, and expressions
Sexualized postures, dances, facial expressions, and focus on sexualized body parts.
Restricted examples
- Undressing in a potentially sexual context
- Unnatural focus on bouncing or shaking breasts
- Sexy dancing in private areas like a bedroom, or while undressed. This type of dancing suggests sexual acts by moving body parts that are commonly sexualized. For example, shaking the hips or butt, slow humping movements, twerking, grinding, or whining.
- Gestures or poses meant to suggest sex
- Suggestive leg positions, such as legs spread toward the viewer or the focus is on upper thighs or crotch
- Straddling someone while partially clothed
- Facial expressions suggesting orgasm, such as with eyes rolled back, gasping, moaning
- Sexualized focus on the mouth, such as licking things not meant to be licked or having fingers seductively in mouth
Allowed examples
- Sexy dancing in public
- Sexy dancing for athletics or exercise
Female breast emphasis
Content that hyper-focuses on breasts in order to sexualize the content.
Restricted examples
- Using techniques to direct attention to the breasts as the primary focus rather than the person as a whole, like close-ups or cropping with no contextual reason for it, as well as prolonged focus, slow panning or zooming, digital effects used to highlight breasts
- Breast-focused language like "look at her breasts" even if the breasts aren't the primary subject of the image
- Poses to emphasize breasts, like unnatural leaning or crawling to emphasize cleavage
Allowed examples
- Breasts highlighted in relevant contexts like bra advertisements
- Demonstrating dance moves or exercise in a bra top
Foreplay
Non-graphic depictions of sexual behaviors associated with building sexual arousal and leading to sex.
Restricted examples
- Passionate, sexualized kissing, over long periods to build arousal, while lying down, with a person straddling someone, or where tongues are visible
- Sexualized touching, active fondling, stroking or rubbing of intimate body parts
- Suggestively rubbing items over the body, other than items intended for such use like soap
Allowed examples
- Content that depicts casual or non-sexual physical affection, such as hugging or cuddling
- Content that focuses on non-sexual massage or therapeutic touch
- Kissing while fully clothed and standing outside
Sexualized inanimate objects
Using objects, food, or emojis as stand-ins for sexual body parts or sexual acts.
Restricted examples
- Using foods to represent intimate body parts like a banana or cucumber for a penis or a halved grapefruit for a vulva
- Objects that resemble intimate body parts, especially if positioned or used to simulate sex acts
- Emojis alluding to sex acts or intimate body parts, like 👉👌 sex, 💦 orgasm, 🍆 penis, 🍌🍩 sex, ✌️ female genitalia
- Licking food in a way that suggests oral sex
- Putting a condom on a vegetable
- Sex toys disguised as household objects
- Positioning dolls or mannequins to simulate sex
Allowed examples
- Emojis that don't allude or relate to sex acts or intimate body parts, such as 😝, 👐, 🫦, 😉
- A person licking a popsicle neutrally at a beach
Here is a screenshot:
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