Does YouTube restart ads if the viewer looks away, as of June 2024? No, that's not true: It is the self-described satirical, absurd work of designer Soren Iverson. YouTube has not implemented this feature. Iverson is known for creating satirical content involving new features for various products.
The claim originated in a Threads post (archived here) on June 13, 2024. It was captioned:
YouTube rewatch the ad if you look away
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Threads screenshot taken on Tue Jun 18 17:36:10 2024 UTC)
The image showed what looks like a realistically implemented feature by YouTube to deter users from looking away from the screen while ads are playing. It included the following prompt along with an eye icon displaying over a YouTube iOS mobile user interface:
Please maintain eye contact for the duration of the ad. Since you looked away, you'll need to rewatch from the beginning. Restart ad
YouTube has not implemented any such feature, as can be observed from navigating the platform. In a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, Soren Iverson, who created the YouTube post, admits to creating satirical concepts on a daily basis. The absurdist designer has created many satirical products that fool the internet, often going viral.
At the time of writing, Snopes had reviewed the same claim.
