When does a Google product feed need the adult attribute?

Definition: The adult attribute identifies an individual product as containing adult content, including nudity, sexually suggestive content, or a purpose of enhancing sexual activity. As of October 2026, Google's attribute documentation requires it for qualifying products and directs websites focused on adult content to an account setting.

Key facts

• Google's product data specification requires adult for products containing adult content and specifies yes for nudity or sexually suggestive content.
• Google's adult attribute documentation requires yes for an entire retailer-defined bundle when any included product is adult oriented.
• Google's sexual content policy restricts sexual merchandise to users over 18 and lists sex toys and sexual fetish lingerie as examples.
• Google's age group documentation uses age_group to describe the demographic a product is designed for.

How is the flag submitted?

Google's adult attribute documentation gives this XML field:

<g:adult>yes</g:adult>

For a text feed, the column name is adult and the value is yes. The minimum requirements specify yes or no. For a product without adult content, omission is allowed when the site has no account-level adult designation; Google then treats the product as non-adult.

When does the whole website need an adult setting?

Google's adult attribute documentation directs sites generally focused on an adult audience and containing adult content, with or without nudity, to this account setting:

Settings > Business info > Edit business details > Adult content

The same documentation requires landing pages for non-adult products to be free of adult-oriented content. Where that is impossible, it instructs merchants to designate the entire site or the affected products as adult oriented.

What restrictions still apply to flagged products?

Google's sexual content policy limits display according to search queries, user age and local laws. Listings must not target minors. Its nudity restrictions include blurred or censored representations of exposed intimate body parts.

Country restrictions also apply. The policy lists India among countries where adult-oriented listings, including nudity, are prohibited. Germany has specific limitations on sexualized nudity and depictions of sex toys in sexualized use by models. Products that violate the policy may be disapproved and become ineligible to serve.

How do age groups and alcohol differ?

Google's age group documentation defines adult as an age-group value typically covering teens or older, from 13 years old. It gives this XML example:

<g:age_group>adult</g:age_group>

That value describes sizing and intended demographic. The same documentation directs products with sexually suggestive content to the separate adult attribute.

For alcohol, Google's product data specification requires alcoholic beverages to use designated Google product categories. The adult attribute guidance explicitly excludes alcohol from this flag's intended use.

Related terms

• Google Merchant Center
• Merchant Center advertising eligibility
• Product feed freshness
• How do I submit a retailer-created product bundle to Google?

FAQ

Do I need to submit no for every ordinary product?

You can omit the attribute for a non-adult product when your site has no account-level adult designation, according to Google's adult attribute requirements.

Can I use age_group set to adult for sexual merchandise?

Google's age group guidance directs sexually suggestive products to the adult attribute. The age_group value describes the intended demographic.

Sources

1. Google Merchant Center Help, "Adult [adult]", undated
2. Google Merchant Center Help, "Product data specification", undated
3. Google Merchant Center Help, "Sexual content", undated
4. Google Merchant Center Help, "Age group [age_group]", undated

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