Vietnam has passed new legislation targeting unskippable online advertisements, including those on YouTube, in a move aimed at curbing intrusive advertising and protecting users from screen fatigue and unlawful content.
The updated advertising rules, which come into force on February 15, require video ads to become skippable within five seconds, while static ads must be removable immediately.
Under the amendments digital platforms must also provide clear, single-click options to close ads and are prohibited from using misleading or confusing symbols designed to trap users into continued viewing. Companies will additionally be required to offer straightforward tools for reporting advertisements that breach the law.
The changes follow growing frustration among users worldwide over increasingly long unskippable ads on YouTube, with some reporting being forced to sit through extremely lengthy promotional videos. Vietnam’s new rules also impose stricter oversight on advertising for 11 categories of products and services linked to environmental and health impacts, including food, alcohol, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Responding to complaints, Google has said YouTube limits unskippable ads to 15 seconds on mobile devices and 60 seconds on televisions, blaming reports of longer ads on ‘malfunctioning ad-blocking software’. The company defended advertising as essential for supporting creators and encouraged users to either allow ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.
Image credit: CardMapr.nl
Or you can just refresh the whole URL address ↩️ and webpage reloads the YT video without playing Ads