Display & Video 360 users must comply with this Google Ads policy. Visit the Display & Video 360 help center for additional restrictions.
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Ads should respect user preferences and comply with legal regulations. Google Ads restricts certain kinds of sexual content in ads and destinations, which will only show in limited scenarios based on user search queries, user age and local laws where the ad is being served. Ads must not target minors.
On this page
Strongly restricted categories
Ads that feature or promote the following types of sexual content categories are strongly restricted. They will only serve based on the following conditions:
- The user’s age
- The local laws where the ad is being served
- The user’s SafeSearch settings
- The user’s sexual content search queries
All the examples provided in this article are non-exhaustive.
Nudity
People or representations of people that display exposed intimate body parts, including representations that are blurred or censored
Examples:
- Visible genitalia
- Visible female breasts
- Visible buttocks
Moderately restricted categories
Ads that feature or promote the following types of sexual content categories are moderately restricted. They will only serve based on the following conditions:
- The user’s age
- The local laws where the ad is being served
- The user’s SafeSearch settings
All the examples provided in this article are non-exhaustive.
Partial nudity
Examples:
- Lower or outer curve of the female breast exposed
- Majority of buttocks exposed
Sexual merchandise
Sale of merchandise that's intended to enhance sexual activity
Examples:
- Sex toys
- Sexual enhancers
- Sexual fetish lingerie
Sale of merchandise that's intended to enhance sexual activitySexual entertainment
Examples:
- Strip clubs
- Adult film festivals
- Sexually suggestive live streaming
- Sexually suggestive role-playing games
Sexually suggestive elements and themes
Non-graphic content that hints at or evokes sexual themes like suggestive language, body positions, and scenarios where sex is implied.
Non-graphic sex in language
Sex is evoked through words, language, text, or sounds without explicit graphic details.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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
Location specifics for ads that contain Sexual content
In addition to the requirements above, your ads must comply with local laws in the regions that your campaigns target.
Algeria |
China |
Ad serving for Sexual content ads
Refer to the Location specifics for ads that contain Sexual content to learn where certain types of ads can and can’t run.
Ad platforms
Sexual content ads can run on Google Ads.
Sexual content ads can’t run on the following ad platforms:
- AdMob
- Google Ad Manager
- YouTube
Ad networks
Sexual content ads can run on the Google Search Network.
Sexual content ads can’t run on the following ad platforms:
- Display Network
- Google Ad Manager Network
Ad formats
Acceptable ad formats can vary depending on the platform you're using, the status of your ad, and whether a publisher or partner has opted to show these types of ads.
Examples of ad formats that don’t allow ads that contain sexual content:
- App ads and app assets
- Dynamic Display Ads
- Gmail ads
- Image ads
- Reservation display ads
- TrueView video ads
Options to fix
If this policy is affecting your ad, review your options to fix below.
Edit your ads to comply with this policy
- Go to Ads within the Campaigns menu
.
- Hover over the ad or asset and select Edit.
- Edit the ad or asset so that it complies with the policy.
- Select Save. Your ad or asset will be automatically re-reviewed, which typically takes 24-48 hours. Check the ad’s status in the “Ads & assets” page for updates.
.Your ad will be automatically reviewed again. To check the ad or asset status, review the “Status” column. If you hover over each status, you’ll notice a more detailed explanation of what the status means.
Learn more about how to Fix a disapproved ad or appeal a policy decision.
Appeal policy decision
If you believe there’s been an error and that you haven’t violated Google Ads policies, appeal the policy decision directly from your Google Ads account to request a review. If the review determines that your ads are compliant, they can run again. If you aren't able to fix these violations or choose not to, remove your ad to help prevent your account from becoming suspended in the future for repeated policy violations.
Need help?
If you have questions about these policies, review the policy guidelines and examples provided or contact Google Ads Support.