Share with others:
Instagram is testing mandatory ad breaks
Instagram is testing these breaks with ads that force you to pause and look at an ad before you can continue scrolling through the platform. Several users on X and Reddit reported seeing this feature. The online portal The Verge also received official confirmation from Instagram spokesperson Matthew Tye that they have started testing ads.
One Redditor noticed the feature while scrolling through stories and posts. After a certain amount of time of scrolling, Instagram would prevent him from continuing until he watched an ad. As shown in the screenshot, Instagram displays an “ad break” icon with a countdown timer indicating how long it will be before you can start scrolling again.
When a user tapped the icon to learn more about the feature, Instagram displayed a message: “Ad breaks are a new way to show ads on Instagram. Sometimes you may need to watch an ad before you can continue browsing.”
Instagram already shows sponsored posts and ads between content you scroll through, whether it’s from a local or foreign channel. But inserting non-skippable content between posts takes it to a whole other level and feels quite disruptive. “We’re always testing formats that can add value to advertisers,” says Tye.
In addition to Instagram, YouTube also displays non-skippable ads before and between videos. Both YouTube and TikTok also insert ads between their short videos, but you can still skip them.
