AdSense Content Compliance Guide 2026: Prohibited Content Checklist & Account Protection Strategies

Ever get that sinking feeling when you see an email from AdSense? I’ve seen too many publishers lose accounts they built over years because of one small oversight.

Last year, a friend told me about his tech blog that he’d run for 8 years with steady $2,000+ monthly income. He republished a foreign technical article—even credited the source at the bottom—and got permanently banned. Eight years of work, gone. When he called me, his voice was shaking.

According to 2025-2026 data, the top three reasons for AdSense bans are: invalid traffic (35%), copyright infringement (28%), and adult/violent content (22%). Behind these numbers are countless publishers’ painful stories.

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I’m writing this to help you avoid these pitfalls. You’ll learn:

• Specific definitions of all prohibited content types (no more confusion)
• Correct handling methods for gray area content (especially alcohol, gambling, medical-related)
• A compliance self-check checklist you can save and use
• Proper response steps after receiving warnings

Honestly, these policies look boring, but they’re worth 10 minutes of careful reading. Prevention is always easier than damage control.

AdSense Content Policy Core Framework (2026 Latest)

Honestly, when I first started with AdSense, I was overwhelmed by all the policy documents. Then I realized Google divides content into three main categories. Understanding this framework makes everything clearer.

Three Content Classifications

1. Prohibited Content

This content absolutely cannot have AdSense ads. One violation could get you banned. Includes adult content, graphic violence, hate speech, misinformation, copyright infringement, etc.

2. Restricted Content

This confuses many people. Restricted content isn’t a violation and can have ads, but ad sources will be limited. Like alcohol, gambling, certain medical/health content.

When I first saw “publisher restrictions,” I was completely confused—is this a violation or not? I later understood it means your site can have ads, but fewer advertisers will want to place ads on your site, so ad fill rate might be lower.

3. Gray Area

This content needs extra careful handling. Done right, it passes; done wrong, it’s a violation. Like sensitive events in news reporting, controversial topic discussions, historical event analysis, etc.

2025-2026 Major Policy Updates

Google’s policies keep changing. Pay attention to these updates:

Major Gambling Content Changes

In October 2025, Google reclassified the “Sweepstakes model” (lottery model) as real-money gambling. Many people used to work around this with “social casino + no purchase necessary,” but not anymore. If your game or app includes any redemption mechanism (virtual currency for real money, gift cards, etc.), it’s considered real-money gambling.

Throughout 2025, Google revised gambling ad policies 18 times, with 35 countries expanding offline gambling restrictions. If your site involves gambling content, carefully review the latest policies.

New AI-Generated Content Requirements

Starting in 2026, AI-generated content needs appropriate labeling. While Google hasn’t completely banned AI content, it requires truthfulness, accuracy, and no user deception. My recommendation: AI-generated content must go through human review and editing, adding personal viewpoints and experience.

Stricter Medical/Health Information Review

Anti-vaccine content, disease denial (like denying AIDS or COVID-19), sexual orientation conversion therapy—these are now zero tolerance. Several health blogs in 2025 were permanently banned for spreading “vaccines cause autism” misinformation.

Good news: Starting January 2026, pharmaceutical ads no longer require certification (previously needed pharmacy licenses, etc.). But alcohol ads still maintain strict verification and geographic targeting requirements.

Five Major Prohibited Content Types Detailed

Adult & Sexual Content (Highest Risk)

This is the minefield of all minefields. I’ve seen many publishers with legitimate content lose accounts because of one borderline image or inappropriate title.

Clearly Prohibited Content:

1. Explicit Pornography: Any depiction, image, or video of sexual acts, nudity scenes, pornographic comics—absolutely not allowed.

2. Adult Themes in Family-Friendly Content: This is especially easy to violate. Your site looks normal, but if it contains adult suggestions, it’ll be flagged. Like using seemingly ordinary titles to attract clicks, but content is actually sex-related.

3. Non-Consensual Sexual Act Themes: Whether real or simulated, completely prohibited.

Easily Misjudged Boundary Cases:

You might wonder: What about artistic nude works? Sex education content?

My experience: It’s about intent and presentation.

• Artistic Nudity vs Pornography: If it’s serious art discussion (like Renaissance sculptures, paintings) with academic text, usually fine. But high-res large images without much text easily gets flagged as pornography.

• Sex Education Content: Must be scientific and educational with serious language. If you’re doing health education, use medical terminology, avoid graphic descriptions, use diagrams rather than real photos.

• Dating/Matchmaking Platforms: Pure matchmaking is fine, but absolutely cannot suggest any form of sexual services or hookups.

Real Cases:

Case A: A health blog quoted a medical article containing medical images of human reproductive organs. Even for educational purposes, received a warning. The publisher later replaced images with diagrams and resolved the issue.

Case B: A movie review site embedded a film trailer with a few seconds of adult scenes. Even though it wasn’t the site’s own content, the account got banned.

My advice: Better safe than sorry. If you think “this might be borderline,” don’t use it.

Violence & Dangerous Content

Prohibited Violence Content Types:

1. Graphic Violence Scenes: High-definition bloody images, violent videos, overly detailed violence descriptions—not allowed.

2. Self-Harm Content: Promoting suicide, teaching self-harm methods, glorifying eating disorders—Google has zero tolerance.

3. Threatening Content: Calling for attacks on others, terrorism promotion, hate group recruitment.

Special Cases for News Reporting:

If you do news, you’ll definitely face this: Does reporting violent events count as violation?

Key distinction: Objective reporting vs sensationalizing details.

• ✅ Can do: Report facts using neutral language, quote official sources. Like “violent incident occurred in X location, resulting in X casualties.”

• ❌ Cannot do: Detail the violence process, use bloody images, sensationalize violence. Like “perpetrator stabbed X times, blood everywhere…” is sensationalizing.

Be careful with historical event archival videos too. You can mention historical events but don’t show prolonged violence. Recommend text + limited historical photos approach.

I remember a history blog writing about WWII with many period war photos (corpses, wounded), got warned. Later replaced photos with black-and-white, processed versions (pixelated or reduced size) and passed review.

Hate Speech & Discrimination

This is sensitive. Google’s definition: promoting hatred or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, etc.

Specifically includes:

• Promoting hate groups or displaying their symbols, paraphernalia
• Inciting others to believe certain groups should be hated or inferior
• Using derogatory language to attack specific groups

Where’s the Line on Free Speech?

You might say: I’m just expressing opinions, how is that hate speech?

Key distinction: Criticizing views vs inciting hatred.

• ✅ Can do: Rationally criticize policies and viewpoints using facts and logic. Like discussing immigration policy pros/cons with data analysis.

• ❌ Cannot do: Personal attacks, extreme language, inciting hatred toward groups. Like “XX group are all criminals, should all be expelled.”

If you’re discussing sensitive topics, my recommendations:

1. Quote multiple sources, maintain balance, don’t present only one position
2. Use facts and data, avoid emotional expression
3. Clearly label as personal opinion, not representing facts
4. If comments might get out of control, better disable them

Misinformation & Misleading Content

In 2026, Google’s crackdown on misinformation is stricter.

Priority Misinformation Targets:

1. Elections/Democratic Process Related: False voting information, manipulative political propaganda, Deepfake-generated politician videos.

2. Health Misinformation:

   • Anti-vaccine propaganda
   • Disease denial (AIDS, COVID-19, etc.)
   • Sexual orientation conversion therapy
   • Promoting unproven treatments

3. Manipulated Media: AI-generated fake news videos, deeply forged images, out-of-context edits.

How to Avoid Accidentally Spreading Misinformation?

Sometimes we’re not intentional, just shared something that seemed reasonable but was fake news. How to avoid?

My methods:

1. Quote Authoritative Sources: Official institutions (WHO, CDC, government agencies), peer-reviewed academic research, reputable media in-depth reporting.

2. Clearly Distinguish Opinion from Fact:

   • Facts: Use “according to XX institution’s data,” “research shows”
   • Opinions: Use “I think,” “some believe,” “this is one viewpoint”

3. Update Outdated Content Promptly: Especially health, legal, tech articles where information changes constantly. I usually review old articles yearly to update outdated information.

4. Don’t Spread Unverified News: See “breaking news,” don’t rush to publish. Wait for mainstream media confirmation.

Real Case:
Several parenting health blogs in 2025 got banned for publishing “vaccines cause autism” articles. These publishers might have thought they were just sharing different viewpoints, but Google saw it as spreading false health information contradicting scientific consensus.

Copyright Infringement (Most Common Violation)

Honestly, copyright is the easiest to violate. Many publishers have zero copyright awareness, thinking “online stuff is free to use.”

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According to statistics, copyright infringement is the second biggest reason for AdSense application rejection at 28%.

Three Most Common Copyright Violations:

1. Distributing Copyrighted Content

   • Unauthorized article republishing (even with attribution doesn’t work)
   • Providing movie, music, software downloads (pirated resources)
   • Uploading others’ videos, images

2. Framing Others’ Websites

   • Using iframe to embed entire other websites on yours
   • This is “using others’ content as your own,” strictly prohibited

3. Linking to Infringing Sites

   • If your site heavily links to piracy sites, you’ll be implicated

How to Legally Use Others’ Content?

Many ask me: Can I use YouTube videos? Can I quote others’ articles? Can I use online images?

Let me clarify:

Video Usage:

• ✅ YouTube official embed code: Usually fine
• ❌ Download and reupload to your site: This is infringement

Why? Because embedding uses YouTube’s provided feature, copyright responsibility stays with original creator. But downloading and reuploading means you’re distributing others’ content.

Image Usage:

• ✅ Royalty-free image libraries: Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay
• ✅ Your own photos
• ✅ Purchased copyright (Shutterstock, Getty Images, etc.)
• ❌ Random downloads from Google Image Search

Imagine maintaining your site for 3 months, then getting banned over one image downloaded from Google Images…

Article Quoting:
This involves Fair Use principles. Not legal advice, but my conservative approach:

• Only quote small amounts (a paragraph or two, not full text)
• Clearly cite source (author, source, link)
• Add substantial original commentary and analysis (this is “transformative use”)

Simply republishing full text, even with attribution, isn’t Fair Use. My friend’s account got banned this way—he republished a full foreign technical article, wrote “Source: XXX” at bottom, still judged as infringement.

Real Cases:

Case C: A movie download site providing pirated movies, permanently banned. Nothing to debate, definitely violation.

Case D: A tech blog thought a foreign article was good, translated and republished it entirely, noted original link at bottom. Got warned, judged copyright infringement.

Lesson: If you want to share an article, best approach:

1. Briefly summarize key points (in your own words)
2. Quote one or two key paragraphs
3. Add your commentary, analysis, reflection
4. Provide original link

This way you share good content without infringement.

Gray Area Content Handling Guide

Alcohol-Related Content

You might think: Since alcohol content is “restricted category,” can’t I write wine reviews or beer culture?

Actually not. Alcohol content is “publisher restricted,” not violation, just limited ad sources.

Can Do:

• Wine, whiskey reviews (focusing on taste, craft, culture)
• Wine tasting knowledge, brewing history
• Restaurant reviews mentioning wine pairings

Key is: You’re sharing knowledge and culture, not promoting purchases.

Cannot Do:

• Directly selling alcoholic beverages
• Encouraging alcohol abuse (binge drinking challenges, drunk videos, “drink till you drop”)
• Alcohol content targeting minors

Practical Suggestions:

• Use still life photography (bottles, glasses), avoid showing drinking behavior
• Add “drink responsibly” and “minors prohibited” notices
• Focus on culture, history, tasting techniques, not “where to buy”

2026 new rules: Alcohol ads still maintain strict verification and geographic targeting requirements. Meaning only verified alcohol advertisers can place ads in allowed regions. Your site can have alcohol content, but ad fill rate might be lower.

Gambling & Gaming

This changed significantly, pay attention.

In October 2025, Google redefined gambling content. Many used “social casino” loopholes before, labeling “no purchase necessary, entertainment only,” but players could redeem virtual currency for gift cards or real money. This model is now clearly classified as real-money gambling.

Can Do:

• Pure entertainment card games (absolutely no redemption mechanism)
• Online gambling content in 18 allowed countries (but you need RMG license)

Cannot Do:

• Social casinos (even labeled “no purchase necessary,” if redemption mechanism exists, not allowed)
• Games where virtual currency can be redeemed for real money, gift cards
• Promoting gambling in unauthorized countries

Key change: Apps/sites with any redemption mechanism now considered real-money gambling.

A friend doing game news uses this strategy:

• Only introduce gameplay, guides, culture
• Don’t provide game download links (especially potentially gambling-related)
• Clearly label “this site doesn’t provide real-money games”

Medical & Health Content

Health content is a minefield, but many want to do it (high traffic). How to safely create health content?

Can Do:

• Health information based on scientific consensus (citing WHO, CDC, medical journals)
• Personal health experience sharing (but clearly label “this is my personal experience, not medical advice”)
• Practical nutrition, fitness, mental health advice

Cannot Do:

• Promoting unapproved drugs and supplements
• Denying scientific consensus (anti-vaccine, AIDS denial, COVID denial)
• Selling products with dangerous ingredients (ephedra, steroids, etc.)
• Providing diagnosis or replacing professional medical advice (“your symptoms are definitely XX disease, take XX medicine”)

Safe Strategies:

• Always advise readers to consult medical professionals
• Use qualifiers like “may,” “generally,” not “definitely,” “must”
• Quote authoritative sources with links
• Clearly distinguish “scientific evidence” from “personal experience”

My expression habits:

• “According to XX study…” (scientific evidence)
• “My personal experience is…” (personal experience)
• “If you have similar symptoms, recommend consulting a doctor” (disclaimer)

Finance & Investment Content

Finance content is also high-risk.

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Can Do:

• Personal finance experience sharing (“how I saved money,” “my investment journey”)
• Investment knowledge education (clearly note risks)
• Financial product comparisons (objective, balanced, not promotional)

Cannot Do:

• Cryptocurrency scams, pyramid schemes, Ponzi schemes
• No-risk guarantees (“guaranteed profit,” “guaranteed XX% annual return”)
• Undisclosed affiliate promotion (you promote investment platform for commission but don’t tell readers)

Key Tips:

• All investment advice needs “investment involves risks, decide carefully” type notices
• If you promote a platform for commission, must clearly disclose (“this article contains affiliate links”)
• Don’t promise returns, only share experience and analysis

Real Violation Case In-Depth Analysis

Let me share real cases, more understandable than dry policy interpretation.

Case 1: 8-Year Account Banned for Copyright

Background:
My friend ran a tech blog for 8 years, high-quality content, stable $2,000+ monthly income.

Violation:
He saw a great foreign technical article, translated and published it entirely on his blog, noted “original link: XXX” at bottom. He thought citing source should be fine.

Consequence:
Permanently banned, 8 years of earnings to zero, appeal rejected. Reason: “copyright infringement.”

Lesson:
Just citing source isn’t enough. Fair Use requires “transformative use,” meaning you need substantial original commentary, analysis, extended thinking. If just copying full text, even with attribution, still infringement.

Correct approach should be:

1. Briefly summarize original points (in your words)
2. Quote one or two key paragraphs
3. Add your analysis: Why is this viewpoint important? What’s your take? What problems encountered in practice?
4. Provide original link

Case 2: Game Guide Site Navigation Issue Led to Ban

Background:
A game guide site, original content, good quality.

Violation:
To earn more, the publisher placed many ads on game guide pages, and ad positions were very close to game interactive buttons (like “Start Game” button right next to ad). Players often misclicked ads.

Consequence:
Judged as “click inducement,” account suspended.

Lesson:
Ad placement matters. Google requires at least 150 pixels distance between ads and interactive elements. Can’t deliberately place ads where easy to misclick to increase click rate.

Like accidentally liking something on social media, no big deal. But misclicking AdSense ads on your own site (even accidental), Google judges as creating invalid clicks.

Case 3: Health Blog Spreading Misinformation

Background:
A parenting health blog sharing childcare experiences, decent following.

Violation:
Publisher posted several anti-vaccine articles, citing unverified research saying “vaccines may cause autism.” She might have thought this was different viewpoint worth discussing.

Consequence:
Account banned, appeal failed. Reason: “spreading health misinformation, contradicting scientific consensus.”

Lesson:
Health content must be based on authoritative scientific consensus. Personal opinions can be shared but can’t contradict existing scientific evidence.

“Vaccines cause autism” has been disproven by countless studies, this isn’t “different viewpoint” but misinformation.

If sharing personal experience (like “my baby had fever after vaccination”), must clearly label: “This is my personal experience, doesn’t mean vaccines are unsafe. Consult doctor for any vaccination concerns.”

Case 4: Successful Gray Content Handling

Not all bad news, some success cases too.

Background:
A wine review blog focusing on wine culture and tasting.

Challenge:
Alcohol content is “restricted category,” ad sources limited.

Success Strategy:

1. Content focused on culture, history, tasting techniques, completely avoided “where to buy”
2. Images only used still life photography (bottles, winery scenery), no drinking behavior shown
3. Every article bottom added “enjoy wine responsibly” and “minors prohibited” notices
4. Clearly labeled “this site doesn’t sell alcoholic beverages”

Result:
Stably operated 3+ years, though ad fill rate 10-15% lower than normal sites, still achieved stable profit.

Lesson:
Gray areas aren’t off-limits, key is handling method. As long as your content is educational, cultural sharing, not promoting purchases or abuse, can pass review.

Content Review Checklist (Save This)

I’ve compiled the most practical checklist, recommend saving and regularly checking against it.

Pre-Application Checklist

Before submitting AdSense application, go through this checklist:

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• All content is original or clearly authorized
• Images from royalty-free libraries (Unsplash, Pexels, etc.) or self-taken
• Embedded videos use official channels (YouTube official embed code)
• Site has no adult, violent, hate speech content
• Health/medical content based on scientific consensus with authoritative sources
• Financial advice includes risk warnings and disclaimers
• Site has About, Contact, Privacy Policy pages
• Clear navigation, complete site structure, good user experience
• At least 20-30 high-quality original articles (don’t apply right after building site)
• Site is mobile-friendly, fast loading

Daily Maintenance Checklist

After approval, can’t relax. I usually do monthly checks:

• Review old articles, update outdated information (especially health, legal, tech)
• Check if external links are broken or target sites became violating
• Monitor user comments, delete spam and violating comments promptly
• Review newly published content for policy compliance
• Check ad placement is reasonable, not too close to interactive buttons
• Confirm traffic sources are real, no bot or spam traffic
• Follow AdSense policy update notifications (Google sends emails)

Remember: Even if users post violating content in comments, site is responsible. Comments must have review mechanism.

Post-Warning Response Checklist

If you unfortunately receive warning email, don’t panic, follow this process:

• Immediately review violation notice email, confirm which page violated
• Delete or modify violating content (don’t just hide, truly delete or correct)
• Submit review request in AdSense backend, explain corrective measures taken
• Site-wide review, check for similar violations
• If account banned, wait 2-4 weeks before reapplying (don’t apply immediately, Google needs time)
• Keep all communication records and modification proof (screenshots, logs, etc.)

Note: AdSense policy states banned accounts cannot create new accounts or have others create for you. If discovered, permanently blacklisted.

Practical Tips for Boundary Content Handling

Some content isn’t violating but improper handling causes problems. Here are practical tips.

Tip 1: Correct Way to Report Sensitive Events

If you do news, you’ll definitely encounter sensitive events. How to report without violation?

• Use objective, neutral language without personal emotion
• Provide multiple viewpoints, maintain balance, don’t present only one position
• Don’t sensationalize graphic violence details (“violent incident occurred” vs “stabbed X times”)
• If content might disturb, label “sensitive content warning” at article start

Tip 2: Safe Framework for Discussing Controversial Topics

Some topics are sensitive but worth discussing. How to discuss safely?

• Clearly state at start: This article aims for rational discussion, not advocating any position
• Quote authoritative sources and diverse viewpoints, don’t just one side
• Avoid extreme, inflammatory language
• Either strictly moderate comments or disable them (if no time to manage)

Tip 3: Handling Historically Sensitive Content

If you write history articles, might involve wars, violence, controversial figures. How to handle?

• Use academic research perspective, not sensationalizing details
• Objectively present historical facts, don’t glorify or celebrate violence or hatred
• Emphasize educational value: “learn from history,” not “miss the past”

Like writing WWII history is fine, but don’t glorify Nazis or extensively show war violence.

Tip 4: User-Generated Content (UGC) Management

If your site has comments, forums, or allows user posts, you’re responsible for user content.

• Set keyword filtering system to automatically block sensitive words
• New user posts need human review (or tier system)
• Clear community rules prohibiting pornography, violence, hate, spam
• Regular patrol, delete violating content promptly

Remember: Even if users post it, site is responsible.

Tip 5: International Content Compliance Considerations

If your site serves multiple countries, note regional differences.

Some content is legal in one country but might violate in another. Like:

• Gambling content partially allowed in US, UK, but completely banned in many countries
• Alcohol ads relatively relaxed in Europe/US, completely banned in some Islamic countries

My recommendations:

• If possible, use geo-targeting technology to limit sensitive content access regions
• Prioritize following strictest standards (this way globally safe)
• Understand AdSense regional policy differences

Summary & Action Recommendations

After all this, I want to tell you: AdSense compliance isn’t that scary. Core is four principles: truthful, original, respect copyright, harmless.

Prevention beats cure. Establishing a content review process is much easier than damage control after problems.

My recommended process:

1. After finishing article, self-check against checklist
2. Carefully verify image and video sources
3. When quoting others’ content, remember to add your analysis and viewpoints
4. Spend half hour monthly reviewing site

Continuous learning is important. Google’s policies update, you need to keep up.

You can:

• Subscribe to AdSense official blog and email notifications
• Join AdSense official community, see other publishers’ questions and answers
• Review official policy page quarterly
• Set calendar reminder to review policies every 3 months

If you haven’t applied for AdSense yet:
First use the “Pre-Application Checklist” above to check, ensure site meets requirements. Don’t rush to apply, build solid foundation first.

If you’re already using AdSense:
Recommend spending 10 minutes today using “Daily Maintenance Checklist” to review your site for potential risks.

If you received a warning:
Don’t panic. Immediately review violation page, fix issues, then submit for review. Most cases, timely correction can restore.

Finally, let me quickly recap this article’s core content:

• AdSense content falls into three categories: prohibited, restricted, gray area
• Five major violations: adult, violence, hate, misinformation, copyright infringement
• Gray areas can be done but handle carefully: alcohol, gambling, medical, finance
• Copyright most common, remember: embed OK, upload NOT OK; brief quotes+original analysis OK, full republishing NOT OK
• Regularly review site, stay vigilant

Hope this article helps you. AdSense is indeed a great monetization method, but premise is following rules. Rather than worrying about bans, better do it right from the start.

Wish your site stable monetization!

References:

• AdSense Program Policies - Official
• Google Publisher Policies
• Top Invalid Traffic and Policy Violations
• Google Publisher Restrictions

Disclaimer: This article is based on AdSense policies as of January 2026. Policies may update anytime, please refer to Google official documentation as authoritative. This article doesn’t constitute legal advice.

20 min read · Published on: Jan 9, 2026 · Modified on: Jan 22, 2026

Easton

Digital Media