YouTube has started to take longer to load for users who use ad-blocking extensions. According to 9to5Google, this problem exists on all browsers.
A user u/vk6_ on Reddit shared a video recorded in Firefox, which takes 5 seconds to load on YouTube, but when he made the service think he was using Chrome, the problem disappeared.
Later, Google explained that the problem was not that the user was using Firefox or Chrome, but rather that there were any extensions that blocked ads.
9to5Google reached out to the company for comment and received the following response:
Ads are a vital lifeline for our creators that helps them run and grow their businesses. That’s why the use of ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service. We’ve been urging users for some time to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience. In the past week, users using ad blockers may have experienced suboptimal viewing, which included delays in loading, regardless of the browser they are using. Users who have uninstalled their ad blockers may still experience a temporary delay in loading, and should try refreshing their browser.
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