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Mindlessly scrolling through Instagram<\/a> could be about to get a good bit more difficult as Meta is reportedly testing non-skippable ad in the social media app\u2019s feed.<\/p>\n TechCrunch<\/em> reports<\/a> the ads are already showing up for some users. As you scroll down the page, you\u2019ll come across what the site is calling an \u201cad break,\u201d which locks scrolling and requires the user to watch an ad which takes a few seconds.<\/p>\n Unskippable ads are commonplace on YouTube<\/a>, but this is the first time they\u2019ve been inserted into a scrolling formatted social media channel. (Instagram<\/a> has had ads in its Reels section for some time, but those remain skippable. The new ads are part of the user\u2019s main feed.)<\/p>\n Users who click the information icon next to the ads see a message reading, \u201cYou\u2019re seeing an ad break. Ad breaks are a new way of seeing ads on Instagram. Sometimes you may need to view an ad before you keep browsing.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaction, predictably, has been negative among users who have encountered the ads.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate this new \u2018feature\u2019 so much \u2013 it is so in your face and to me, feels like a terrible business decision,\u201d wrote one user on Reddit<\/a>. \u201cThe whole platform is already basically \u2018soft ads\u2019 that generate revenue based on people being on there for ages, consuming content without thinking too much about it all and now they\u2019re forcing users to stop scrolling and drawing attention to the fact they\u2019re on an app designed to sell them things. So far, I simply close the app as soon as an ad break pops up and if this continues, I\u2019ll be unsubscribing.\u201d<\/p>\n Instagram is hardly hurting financially. In April, court filings<\/a> showed the Meta division already makes more money on advertising<\/a> than YouTube. In 2020, the filings showed, Instagram made $22 billion in ad revenue, while YouTube made $19.7 billion. In 2019, Instagram took in $17.9 billion. YouTube earned $15.1 billion.<\/p>\n Instagram is responsible for roughly one-third of Meta\u2019s revenues, though, which could be why the company is looking to boost that income.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to the Eye on AI newsletter to stay abreast of how AI is shaping the future of business. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n