This is an important issue that goes beyond layout and design. When active elements of a web site generate extreme distractions or lock up the browser or even the entire computer then not only is that site largely unusable with the content being unreadable but it also impacts any other use or application of the computer. This is a serious problem which has been growing worse over time with the bulking up of web content and proliferation of trackers and aggressive promotions.

It makes sense that many resort to ad and script blockers of various sorts, but it is also pretty clear that this has led to escalation and competition. Instead of being confident that powerful machines and blockers can solve this we need to find some way of taming the problem that ordinary people with ordinary browsers and configurations and machines can use to navigate the web and access content while retaining basic control of their attention, their browser, and their machines that they own.