SafeKids.com is supported by some sponsors but also by Google ads. For awhile I had suspended Google ads but I’m bringing them back to see how they do.  If you see an ad that you feel is inappropriate, please let me know, but be aware that there are two things that determine what type of ads appear. One is the content on the page and the other is that Google places tracking cookies on people’s devices that help determine what ads they will see.

On its Adsense help site Google explains it it “does and doesn’t do to show you ads.”

We may show you ads based on many factors, including:

• The DoubleClick cookie on your browser
• The contents of the website you’re viewing, if it’s part of the Display Network or a Google partner site
• The types of websites you visit, if they’re part of the Display Network or a Google partner site
• Whether you’ve previously interacted with any of Google’s ads or ad-type features
• Anything you +1 on Google and across the web
• Your Google profile

Occasionally, SafeKids.com carries posts that deal with issues like pornography and sexting that could trigger ads aimed at adults. They will never be porn ads, but it’s possible that they could be, for example, ads for dating sites.  But as you can see above, there are many other factors beyond the control of this and other sites that carry Google ads. Google ads are often very personal so just because you’re seeing an ad doesn’t mean that others will.

Check out the site via private browsing

If you want to see a more “generic” ad, use your browser’s private (or incognito) feature to look at the site. In theory that should be showing you the site without accessing (or saving) tracking cookies so that what you see is less likely to be tailored for you.

Larry Magid