YouTube adds new hurdles for ad blockers, and there’s currently no way around it

With it being the largest video and entertainment platform in the world, it can be maddening if YouTube doesn’t work the way it should. Something similar is happening now, with scores of users reporting facing issues with the platform. And from what it looks like, this might be intentional.

Over the past few days, the YouTube subreddit has been colored with several reports (via PiunikaWeb) of YouTube blocking comments on videos. Based on these reports, users see a message stating “Comments are turned off,” which appears across a wide range of videos. The issue appears to be widespread as dozens corroborate facing it.

Furthermore, it appears to extend beyond comments, as YouTube has also been blocking video descriptions for some users. In addition to Reddit, some reports can be tracked across platforms such as X. The issue may also affect YouTube Premium users using ad blockers, which can be very frustrating.

Based on users’ comments, this appears to be YouTube’s latest crusade against users skipping ads without paying, as the common root cause in each of these cases is using ad blockers. In some cases, people using browsers that come with built-in blockers for ads and trackers, such as Brave, have also reported similar issues.

YouTube’s action is further confirmed by numerous forum posts and X posts saying that comments return when ad blockers are turned off, clearly signalling the video giant’s attempt to deter ad blocker use.

Thankfully, the tactic does not apply to all YouTube users with ad blockers, at least for now. We tested it on our end, and both comments and descriptions were visible. However, given the high volume of reports, we cannot override ad blockers, as YouTube’s opposition to them is at the core of the issue.

However, if you find yourself in a similar situation, you might want to turn off your ad blocker. Or else, if you want to protest mildly, you can use a VPN and tunnel your internet through Vietnam, where YouTube must now allow ads to be skipped under five seconds, following a recent government order.