Until now, pausing a YouTube video didn't come with much fanfare for most people. Moving forward, however, your pause screen may look a lot different. And by "different," we mean there will be ads on it.
According to The Verge, YouTube pause screen ads are rolling out to more advertisers now -- meaning ads will appear on this screen for more users across the board. So if you thought pausing a video might relieve you of ads, you may be a little disappointed.
But let's take a minute to think about what this means for the larger YouTube landscape -- specifically for creators whose videos these pause screen ads might be appearing on. Ad revenue may not be a sustainable or reliable income source for content creators on its own. But money is still money, and some channels still rely on that income even if it isn't the only way they make money.
Many of us are struggling financially right now, and it can be frustrating to have to sit through ads because you can't afford to or don't want to pay for ad-free viewing experiences. But it's long been the case that ads run the internet, so to speak. This isn't anything new. Content creators, journalists, influencers, and others often depend on ads to keep them employed in some capacity. It's not ideal, but it's how things are.
So if you can't afford to support your favorite creators financially, the least you can do is sit through their video ads whether you like it or not. And technically in this case, if you're pausing a video because you need to get up and go do something else for a second ... just let the ads play. It's not hurting anyone. It could even be helping someone whether you know them or not.