Eira Wexford
Ever found yourself staring at a “Disapproved” notification on your Google Ads campaign, completely baffled? You thought you did everything right. The ad copy was punchy, the image was great, but Google just said no. A lot of the time the hidden reason behind that rejection, is something to do with age. It’s a messy subject that trips up so many people trying to get their businesses out there. It’s not just about one simple rule; it’s a whole web of them.
So, here we are in 2025, and the rules about this stuff haven’t gotten any simpler. If anything, they’re a bit more tangled. This isn’t going to be some super formal guide. It’s more like a chat about what’s really going on with Google Ads and age, so you can stop getting those annoying disapproval emails and actually get your ads running. We’re just going to break it down piece by piece.
The Big Rule: What’s the Minimum Age for a Google Ads Account?
First things first, let’s talk about you, the person running the ads. To even open a Google Ads account, you have to be old enough. This isn’t just some random number Google picked out of a hat. It is a legal thing that is really about contracts.
When you sign up for Google Ads, you’re basically entering a business agreement. You agree to pay them, and they agree to show your ads. In most places around the world, you have to be 18 to legally agree to that kind of stuff. If you’re not, the contract isn’t really solid.
So the hard and fast rule is this: you must be 18 years old. Or, if the legal age of adulthood is different where you live, you need to be that age. Google checks this, and if they think you’re younger, they can and will suspend your account. It’s step one, and it’s a big one.
It’s Not Just About You, It’s About Who You’re Targeting
Okay, so you’re over 18. Great. But that’s only half the battle. Now we get into the really tricky part. Who are you trying to show your ads to? This is where most people get into hot water with the is google ads age restriction policies. Google is very protective about what ads are shown to minors.
They have a whole bunch of categories that they call “age-sensitive.” This just means it’s stuff they don’t think kids or teenagers should be seeing ads for. It’s not always about things that are illegal for them. Sometimes it’s just about things that aren’t appropriate.
The logic Google uses is all about protecting younger users. They don’t want to be the platform that’s pushing booze or get-rich-quick schemes on a 15-year-old. It makes sense from their point of view, even if it feels like a pain for advertisers. The system they use to figure out a user’s age isn’t perfect, which causes more problems.
Stuff You Absolutely Can’t Show Kids
Some things are just obvious no-gos. Google’s computers and human reviewers are on high alert for these. If your product or service falls into one of these buckets, you have to be super careful with your age targeting. You can’t let your ads be seen by people under 18.
Alcohol: This is a big one. Beer, wine, spirits, you name it. No ads for anyone who isn’t of legal drinking age.
Gambling: Online casinos, sports betting, lotteries. Google is extremely strict about keeping these away from young eyes.
Adult Content: This covers a lot of ground, from dating sites with a sexual focus to stuff that’s way more explicit.
Weapons & Tobacco: Guns, knives, fireworks, cigarettes, vapes. All of this is considered to be firmly in the adult-only zone.
Certain Health Stuff: Prescription drugs and other very specific medical topics are generally not for younger audiences.
For these categories, you can’t just hope for the best. You need to go into your campaign settings and specifically exclude users under 18. If you don’t, your ad will get shut down fast.
The Gray Area: Ads That Get Tricky
This is where it gets confusing. There’s a whole list of things that aren’t strictly “adult,” but Google still puts age limits on them. The rules can feel a bit fuzzy and depend a lot on how you word your ad and what your landing page looks like.
These are things where the connection to age might be less clear. You might not think your product is for adults only, but Google might disagree.
For example, weight loss products. Ads that promise rapid weight loss or show dramatic before-and-after pictures are typically restricted from being shown to people under 18. The same goes for some financial products, like high-interest loans or things that seem too good to be true. Contests and sweepstakes can also fall into this zone. It is often the case that Google wants to prevent young people from being taken advantage of.
How Google Knows (Or Tries to Know) Someone’s Age
This is a bit of a black box, but we have a general idea. How does Google know if the person seeing your ad is 16 or 36? It’s a mix of things, and it is not always a perfect science.
When someone is logged into their Google account, it’s easy. They told Google their birthday when they signed up. So Google knows their exact age. That’s the most reliable data they have. For these users, targeting or excluding them is straightforward.
But what about people who aren’t logged in? Or people who lied about their age? Then Google has to guess. It uses what they call “demographic inference.” This is a fancy way of saying their computers look at browsing habits.
The websites a person visits, the YouTube videos they watch, the things they search for. All these little signals are put together to create a profile. From that profile, Google’s system makes an educated guess about their age range. It might guess “18-24” or “25-34.” Sometimes it’s right, and sometimes it’s wrong. This is why sometimes your ads get flagged even when you think your targeting is correct.
What Happens When You Mess Up the Age Restriction Rules?
Breaking the rules, even by accident, comes with consequences. Google normally doesn’t just let things slide. The system is mostly automated, so a robot will probably catch your mistake first.
The first thing that usually happens is your ad gets disapproved. You’ll get an email saying your ad violates a policy, and it will stop running. This is annoying, but you can usually fix the ad, change the targeting, and resubmit it.
If you keep making the same mistake, things get worse. Your whole ad account could be suspended. A suspension is a much bigger deal. It means you can’t run any ads at all. Getting an account back after a suspension is a long and difficult process. It is a process that can be very frustrating.
In the worst-case scenario, if Google thinks you’re intentionally trying to break the rules to show inappropriate ads to kids, they can ban you for life. They’ll shut down your account and you won’t be able to open a new one. All your campaigns, all your data, just gone.
Key Takeaways
You must be at least 18 (or the local age of majority) to have a Google Ads account. This is a legal thing.
Many products and services, like alcohol and gambling, are “age-sensitive” and cannot be advertised to minors.
You must actively exclude users under 18 when advertising these restricted products.
There’s a “gray area” of products like weight loss or financial services that also have age restrictions.
Google uses account information and browsing behavior to guess a user’s age, but it’s not always accurate.
Getting it wrong can lead to ad disapprovals, and if it happens a lot, your entire account could be suspended.
Frequently Asked Questions about is google ads age restriction
1. So, is google ads age restriction a real thing I need to worry about?
Yes, absolutely. It’s a core part of their advertising policies. There are restrictions on the age of the account holder and major restrictions on who you can target with ads for certain types of products. Ignoring it is one of the fastest ways to get your ads disapproved or your account suspended.
2. What is the google ads age restriction for just running a campaign for something normal like t-shirts?
The restriction on you, the advertiser, is that you must be 18 or older to manage the account. For a normal product like t-shirts, you generally don’t have to worry about age-restricting your audience unless the t-shirts have designs that fall into an age-sensitive category (like featuring alcohol brands or adult humor).
3. Is google ads age restriction different for YouTube ads compared to search ads?
The underlying policy is the same because it’s all part of the Google ecosystem. But, the rules are often applied even more strictly on YouTube because it’s a visual platform with a massive young audience. You’ll find that content categories and ad placements are watched very closely there.
4. How can I fix a problem where my ad was disapproved because of the google ads age restriction?
First, read the policy violation email carefully. Then, check two things: your ad content (words and images) and your audience targeting. If you’re selling a restricted product, make sure you’ve explicitly excluded users under 18 in your campaign settings. If your product is in a gray area, try toning down your ad copy to be less sensational. After making changes, you can resubmit the ad for review.
5. Is google ads age restriction just for obvious stuff like alcohol and gambling?
No, it goes way beyond that. While those are the most obvious examples, the policy also covers things like certain health supplements, weight loss programs, dating services, financial products that could be seen as risky, and contests. It’s a much wider net than most people think.
