Protecting minors on TikTok: advertising initiatives
TikTok's commitment to advertising-related minor protections
At TikTok, we are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our community, especially minors. We have implemented stringent policies to ensure that ads on our platform are age-appropriate. We continually invest in creating a safe environment for our community, which includes developing robust policies to protect minors from certain types of advertising content.
In addition, we have taken steps to limit the ability of advertisers to target users under the age of 18 in the United States.
Changes to Ad Targeting
TikTok has made several changes to our advertising platform to limit certain types of ad targeting aimed at users under 18.
In July 2023, we restricted personalized ads to users aged 13 to 17 in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland, based on their activities on or off TikTok. More details
In early 2024, we introduced changes to ads targeting users under the age of 18 in the United States, carefully designed to enhance the safety and privacy of our younger audience. Key measures included:
Restricting age targeting for certain ad objective campaigns, including Lead Generation, Product Sales, and some objective campaigns using automatic targeting options.
Restricting age targeting for sensitive targeting options including Additional Interest Targeting, Hashtag Targeting, Household Income (HHI) Targeting, and High Spending Power (HSP).
In June 2024, we are introducing additional limitations to ad campaigns that target users under 18 in the United States, including:
Restrictions against targeting based on Gender, Interests & Behaviors, or any other detailed targeting option.
Limiting targeting options to non-personalized factors such as Location, Device, or Location.
These changes can be reviewed in greater depth in this help center article.
Restricted Categories and Prohibited Content
TikTok also maintains strict policies on ad content to protect minors. We actively update the public on our enforcement efforts on a regular basis through our Community Guidelines Enforcement Report.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of some notable content categories that we restrict from targeting based on user age:
Advertisements for alcoholic products or other alcohol-related products or services are not allowed to target audiences under the legal drinking age. | |
Advertising for finance-related products such as credit lines, digital currencies trade, traditional stock trade, multi-level marketing, and debt consolidation, cash advances, and "buy now pay later" services is only allowed for adult audiences. | |
Advertisements for gambling, lotteries, sports-betting, rewarded gaming, and other products/services closely related to casinos and betting (even if no real money is involved) or guides on how to succeed at such games are not allowed to target audiences under the legal gambling age. | |
Advertisements for permitted categories of medical clinics, medical procedures, vitamins/minerals, over-the-counter medication, and prescription medication can only be targeted at adults | |
Ads with political, religious, or other sensitive content are not permitted on TikTok. PSA campaigns (such as those related to alcohol consumption's negative effects) presented by approved government agencies or validated charitable organizations may be approved to run with strict content and targeting guidelines. | |
TikTok does not allow any advertising material that might endanger the health or safety of minors. Advertisements cannot contain creative elements that generate excessive appeal to a product by minors. Advertisements cannot feature minor models engaging in inappropriate or illegal behavior. | |
Products/services such as dating apps, chat rooms, or fictional content featuring adult scenes must be advertised to adults. | |
A veterinary service's target audience must be adults. | |
It is not permissible to target minors with advertisements for items such as water pistols and toy drones. | |
An individual's image or content cannot be used without their permission. This includes advertising AI photo-generation application features using a minor's image. The use of a private image or content for bullying, cruelty, or exposure of an individual via unauthorized use of the image for advertising any content is strictly prohibited. | |
Marketing elements should not include excessive violence, criminal acts, or dangerous activities. This can include stunt driving without disclaiming that the vehicle is being driven by a trained professional in a controlled environment. Film, television, and gaming products featuring excessive violence with elements of torture or horror can only be targeted to an adult audience. | |
Advertisements for weightloss products, such as weightloss medications and meal replacements, are not permitted on TikTok. Some athletic equipment must target adults. Nutritional apps/programs, and gym membership advertisements must target adults. It is prohibited for ads to contain any content considered harmful to an individual's body image or overall well-being. |
Impact on advertisers
We expect all of our advertisers to follow local legal requirements when creating ad campaigns, including any regulations on advertising to users under the age of 18, as well as all of TikTok's Ads policies.
Advertisers will see some of these initiatives reflected in the impact to their targeting options in campaigns that include US users under the age of 18. Additionally, this may result in an impact on ad campaign reach or performance. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in ensuring a safe and positive experience for all TikTok users.