Learning exactly how to Exclude YouTube Kids Channels in Google Ads is the most critical optimization you can make in 2026. If you are running Display or Video campaigns and seeing a suspicious 98% view rate with zero conversions, you are a victim of the "Toddler Tax."
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Millions of ad dollars are wasted every year on Cocomelon, Ryan’s World, and thousands of low-quality nursery rhyme channels where the primary viewer is a 3-year-old smashing an iPad screen.
Google has made it increasingly difficult to block these channels natively. The "exclude sensitive content" button is no longer enough.
In this guide, we will break down the three-step protocol to completely exclude YouTube kids channels from Google Ads campaigns, including our free database of 20,000+ verified junk channels.
Phase 1: The "Nuclear Option" (The Database)
The most effective way to stop this bleed is a brute-force exclusion list. You cannot rely on Google's algorithms to catch everything - they are incentivized to show your ads somewhere.
We have compiled the largest open-source database of confirmed "Made for Kids" channels that monetize via unsuspecting B2B and E-commerce advertisers.
[Download the 20,000+ Exclusion List Here]
How to Apply the List:
1. Open the list from our Utilities Hub.
2. In Google Ads, navigate to Tools > Shared Library > Placement Exclusion Lists.
3. Click the Plus (+) icon to create a new list.
4. Name it Custom Exclusion List(or any name you whish).
5. Select "Enter Multiple Placements" and paste the URLs from the first column in our database .
IMPORTANT: That input filed in Google Ads is limited to maximum 5,000 placements per import. That's why the document with YouTube kids placements is divided into multiple columns, each column containing not more than 5,000 placements.
6. Click Add 4999 Placements and Save to create the base list.
7. Go to the Placements exclusion lists and click on your recently created file.
8. Click on the + button to add more placements and then "Edit list".
9. Copy the placements from the next column in the Google Sheet and paste them to your main Exclusions list in Google Ads.
10. Repeat the process until you copy all the columns from Google Sheet into your Google Ads Exclusions list.
IMPORTANT: The YouTube channels are banned and the amount of final imported placements in your account can be lower than 20,000. We're updating the file regularly but still cannot maintain a fixed amount of placements especially in the AI Era when hundreds of new channels are created daily.
Phase 2: The "Hidden" Settings
Uploading a list is step one. Step two is unchecking the boxes Google hides deep in the UI.
1. Exclude "Content Suitable for Families" This is the single most important setting that most media buyers miss. And in many cases the Games(Fighting) and Games(Mature) should be excluded as well because the traffic quality here is questionable.
1. Go to Campaign > Settings > Content Suitability.
2. Expand "Excluded Content Themes".
3. Check the box for Content Suitable for Families.
Note: This tells Google, "My product is not for families/kids," which forces the algorithm to avoid G-rated content.
2. Exclude audiences with parental guidance.
1. Go to Campaign > Settings > Content Suitability.
2. Expand "Excluded types and labels".
3. Check the box for DL-PG: Most audiences with parental guidance.
It's recommended to exclude all 4 categories from the right side in this menu. Mostly all traffic there is low quality and not generating sales & conversions. So if you're on a tight budget, check all these options as well here:
- Live streaming videos
- Embedded YouTube videos
- Below-the-fold
- Parked domains
[Read more about Content Suitability in Google Ads]
3. Turn Off "Unknown" Demographics (Carefully). If you are selling a B2B SaaS product or high-ticket item, it is statistically impossible for your buyer to be in the "Unknown" age bracket on a kids' channel.
1. Select your campaign and go to Audiences > Demographics > Age.
2. Exclude Unknown.
Warning: Only do this if you have ample budget. "Unknown" often contains privacy-focused adult users, but on Display networks, it is predominantly un-logged-in devices (i.e., kids on parents' tablets).
Phase 3: The "App Trap"
Kids don't just watch YouTube; they play mobile games. If your Display campaign is bleeding spend into Mobile App placements, you are likely paying for accidental clicks from "Talking Tom" or "Subway Surfers."
How to Block All Apps (The 2026 Method): Google removed the simple "Exclude All Apps" checkbox years ago, but the workarounds still exist.
[Read the full guide here on how to remove the apps from your campaigns]
