ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Sexual content
Google strongly restricts nudity and moderately restricts partial nudity, sexual merchandise, sexual entertainment and suggestive content. Restricted ads serve only within limits on age, local law and search, and some formats and networks do not carry them at all. A violation brings a warning first. Edit the ad to remove the nudity or suggestion, or remove the ad.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved or limited under this policy.
- What stops
- Serving is limited by user and format. Ads on the excluded formats and networks do not run there.
- How serious
- Warning first. Google says it issues a warning at least 7 days before any account suspension.
- How long
- Google says re-review typically takes 24 to 48 hours after an edit.
What it means
This is a restriction, not a ban. Nudity, sexual merchandise and sexual entertainment are allowed to run only inside limits. The page sorts them into strongly restricted nudity and moderately restricted content.
Serving limits decide where an ad can run. Strongly restricted ads serve based on the user's age, local law, SafeSearch and sexual content search queries. Moderately restricted ads serve based on age, local law and SafeSearch. Ads must not target minors.
What actually triggers it
Sex toys, enhancers and fetish lingerie
Sexual merchandise intended to enhance sexual activity is moderately restricted. Sex toys, sexual enhancers and sexual fetish lingerie are the named examples.
Partial nudity or suggestive poses
An exposed lower or outer curve of the female breast, most of the buttocks, lewd language, suggestive poses and touching covered intimate areas are named as moderately restricted elements.
An excluded format or network
Google's non-exhaustive list of formats that do not allow sexual content is app ads and app assets, Dynamic Display Ads, Gmail ads, image ads, reservation display ads and TrueView video ads. AdMob, Google Ad Manager, YouTube, the Display Network and the Google Ad Manager Network do not carry them either. The Search Network does.
A location that blocks sexual content
Some locations do not allow any sexual content, and others block only the strongly restricted tier. An ad that is compliant in one country can still be limited where the campaign also targets a stricter one.
Fix it in this order
- Open Ads & assets from the Campaigns menu, and sort the ads that show this policy by strong or moderate restriction.
- Check the campaign's formats and networks. Take out any format or network the page excludes for these ads.
- Hover over the ad, select Edit, change the image or wording, and select Save.
- Remove the ad if it cannot be made compliant.
A re-review typically takes 24 to 48 hours after a save. Check the format and network settings yourself, since an appeal does not change them.
When to appeal
Appeal when the ad does not contain the named elements, and say which one you believe was misread. Google says to appeal from the account if you believe there was an error.
Often confused with
Graphic sexual acts and the named underage, non-consensual and deepfake themes are suspended on detection. Nudity under this page is limited and gets a warning first.
Adult themes in family content
This one is about ads made to look family friendly. A sexual image is not the test there. The family-content rule is about the framing of the ad.