Arabella Asis Tech 01.14.2024 20:Jan PM EST

YouTube Slows Down Website for Detected Users of Ad Blockers

YouTube now automatically slows down the entire site once it detects that ad blockers are used, giving users a solution to either disable the ad blocker or upgrade to Premium.

The company has been reminding users that avoiding ads is a violation of the terms of service.

YouTube Crackdowns Ad Blocker Users

This is actually not the first time that YouTube has implemented a crackdown on ad blocker users. Last year, the company started to slow down the loading time for users with an ad blocker installed on any browser.

YouTube then explained that the ad blocker detection is due to the "suboptimal viewing" on the website. Regardless of the browser, they are using, the loading will be delayed unless they have uninstalled their ad blockers. However, the temporary delay could still happen if the browser is not refreshed.

The platform then advised that users should allow ads to run on YouTube or to subscribe to the YouTube Premium for a legitimate ad-free experience.

"Ads are a vital lifeline for our creators that helps them run and grow their businesses. That's why the use of ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service," the company wrote.

YouTube Ad Blocker Popularity

For the longest time, many users have been relying on ad blocker services, even before the Premium subscription existed. As compared to the early days of YouTube, there has been an increasing frequency of ads on videos.

Users of the platform shared their recent experience on Reddit, citing that YouTube is now laggy and unresponsive all of a sudden.

Previously, the platform had a pop-up message that read "Ad blockers violate YouTube's Term of Service" and did not allow the users to view the video without disabling the ad blocker.

As part of the solution, YouTube is offering a $10 per month subscription fee for ad-free viewing, similar to what the free ad blocker services used to offer. Users who are unwilling to pay the extra fee must sit through whatever ads are placed on the video.