Many YouTube users are now reporting that the site is slowing down videos for people who use ad blockers. This slowdown includes longer buffering, delayed video starts, and laggy browsing on the site.
The delays seem to happen during the time when ads would normally play. Instead of ads, users often see black screens with a message saying, “Experiencing interruptions? Find out why,” which links to a YouTube page asking users to disable their ad blockers.
This is a new step by YouTube to stop people from avoiding ads. Before this, YouTube only showed pop-up warnings or blocked video playback for users with ad blockers. Now, they are making the experience worse by adding delays to push users toward buying YouTube Premium, which removes ads completely.
The slowdown affects users across different browsers and devices. People using popular ad blockers like uBlock Origin and AdGuard have confirmed these problems. While some have found temporary fixes by changing ad-block settings or using other blockers, many agree that YouTube is doing this on purpose to protect its ad business.
As YouTube continues to fight ad blocker use, many users are now debating whether to disable their blockers or pay for Premium to get a smooth viewing experience.
