How to Comply with the Facebook Ad Guidelines in 2025

Ever had a Facebook ad rejected with no clear explanation? You’re not alone. Facebook’s ad guidelines are a moving target, evolving yearly to improve user experience and maintain platform integrity.

In 2025, compliance is more important than ever as Facebook continues refining its policies to combat misinformation, protect user data, and ensure fair advertising practices.

In this guide, we’ll break down the key Facebook ad policies for 2025, explain common mistakes that lead to disapproved ads, and provide actionable steps to ensure your campaigns comply while still driving results.

Introduction to Facebook ad guidelines

Facebook ad guidelines, officially known as Meta’s Ad Standards, are rules that dictate what types of ads can and cannot run on Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network). These guidelines are designed to create a safe, respectful, and transparent advertising ecosystem while protecting users from misleading or harmful content.

When advertisers submit an ad, Facebook’s automated system reviews it against these guidelines before approval. In some cases, ads may also undergo manual review.

By enforcing these rules, Facebook aims to maintain user trust and ensure that businesses can advertise effectively without harming the overall platform experience. In my opinion, you should spend the time to read through all of the requirements before you click a single button inside Ads Manager.

Overview of Facebook's advertising policies

While Facebook's policy page is incredibly detailed, in general, Facebook wants to ensure your ads are not discriminatory or fraudulent, promote a positive user experience, and can be traced back to the appropriate organization.

These policies cover a wide range of areas, including content moderation, privacy protection, Facebook advertising standards, and community guidelines.

For businesses and advertisers, Meta’s Ad Standards set specific rules about the types of ads allowed. These guidelines restrict misleading claims, explicit content, and regulated goods such as alcohol, gambling, and financial services. Advertisers must also comply with transparency requirements, especially for political or issue-based ads.

Facebook also has data and privacy policies that govern how user information is collected, shared, and used by businesses and third parties. Companies using Facebook for marketing must follow strict rules regarding data handling, user consent, and targeted advertising practices.

While the above may sound like enough information, the reality is that Meta's rules can have more nuance to them, specifically when it comes to advertising regulated industries like Finance and Healthcare.

Below, we'll discuss some of the specific areas that are important to the ad review process.

Content restrictions

Now that we’ve covered the broad framework of Facebook’s policies, let’s take a closer look at the specific content policies that advertisers need to follow to ensure their ads meet Meta’s standards.

Prohibited content

Meta has two very important types of content listed in its policies: prohibited and restricted content. Prohibited content is never allowed on any Meta platform in any instance, while restricted content can be run but must adhere to stricter advertising guidelines.

Here is Meta's current list of prohibited content in 2025:

• Illegal products and services – Ads cannot promote drugs, illegal materials, weapons, counterfeit documents, or any illegal activities.
• Tobacco and related products – Advertising cigarettes, vapes, or nicotine-containing products is not allowed.
• Drugs and drug-related content – Ads cannot promote recreational or prescription drugs, drug paraphernalia, or misleading treatment claims.
• Unsafe supplements – Facebook bans ads for unapproved weight loss products, steroids, or other controversial supplements.
• Adult content – Sexually explicit imagery, pornography, or adult entertainment services are not permitted.
• Child sexual exploitation, abuse, and nudity – Ads must not contain content that sexually exploits or endangers children. Any apparent child exploitation is reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in compliance with applicable law.
• Coordinating harm and promoting crime – Ads must not facilitate, organize, promote, or admit to criminal or harmful activities targeting people, businesses, property, or animals.
• Discriminatory practices – Ads must not discriminate or encourage discrimination based on personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics.
• Locally illegal content, products, or services – Ads that violate local laws, as reported by a government, court order, or public complaint, may be removed.
• Misinformation – Ads must comply with Meta’s misinformation policies and cannot contain content debunked by third-party fact-checkers. Advertisers who repeatedly post false information may face advertising restrictions.
• Misleading or deceptive content – Ads must not spread false claims about health or politics or use clickbait to mislead users.
• Shocking and violent content – Graphic violence, self-harm, cruelty to animals, or disturbing images are strictly prohibited.

Restricted content

Next, we’ll cover restricted content. Restricted content can be advertised on Meta. However, it may require pre-approval, special disclaimers, or compliance with local regulations beforehand.

Alcohol

Facebook allows the advertising of alcohol but with strict restrictions. Advertisers promoting or referencing alcohol must follow these rules to avoid ad disapproval or account penalties:

• Advertisers must comply with all local laws, regulations, and industry guidelines regarding alcohol advertising.
• Ads must include age and country targeting to ensure they are not shown to audiences where alcohol advertising is restricted. At a minimum, ads cannot be targeted to individuals under 18, though some countries may have higher age requirements.

• Ads must not encourage excessive drinking or irresponsible consumption or depict alcohol use in unsafe situations (like drinking and driving).
• Content must not imply that alcohol enhances social success, improves performance, or has health benefits.
• Advertisers cannot promote binge drinking, underage drinking, or content appealing to minors, such as using cartoon characters or playful branding.

Since alcohol advertising laws vary by region, advertisers should carefully review both Facebook’s policies and local legal requirements before running campaigns.

Dating ads

While dating ads are allowed on Meta, they follow an even stricter set of requirements than alcohol. In fact, advertisers must receive written approval from Meta before running dating ads.

Once you have their permission, you can create ads for dating services as long as they follow these additional rules:

• Ads must target users 18+ (or older where required by local laws).
• Services may not promote casual encounters, infidelity, hookup culture, or financial transactions like escort services or "mail-order brides."

• Ads must not include sexually explicit imagery or misleading claims.
• Ads cannot advertise that users will meet with fictitious people or groups.

Health and wellness ads

Health and wellness ads are another highly-monitored ad category on Meta and fall into one of two groups: Weight loss and cosmetic products and procedures and adult products and reproductive health.

Weight loss and cosmetic products and procedures

This category covers weight loss, cosmetic products, and cosmetic procedures. Ads in this category must adhere to these special restrictions to run on Meta:

• Ads must not promote body shaming or exploit insecurities related to appearance.
• Side-by-side transformation images for weight loss or anti-aging treatments (Botox, fillers, etc.) are not allowed, except for fitness classes like Pilates or similar.
• Close-up images of pinched fat or specific body areas are prohibited.
• Ads for skin whitening or bleaching products that cause permanent skin color change are not permitted.

Adult products and reproductive health

Adult products and reproductive health cover the more, ahem, adult side of the health spectrum. Facebook allows ads for sexual and reproductive health as long as they focus on medical benefits and health treatments rather than promoting sexual pleasure or enhancement.

Overall, no business can include ads with:

• Sex toys and erotic products, including fetish items, erotic novels, or non-surgical genital enhancement products.
• Adult entertainment and services, such as strip clubs, cabarets, adult movie theaters, and hotels marketed for sexual fantasies.
• Instructional sexual services, including tantric retreats or orgasmic therapy.
• Genital procedures or surgeries focused on enhancing sexual pleasure, like male genital enlargement.

However, other adult health topics, like contraception, addressing sexual health disorders, or similar, are allowed on Meta.

Financial services and cryptocurrency

Another restricted content industry is financial services. Financial services advertisers must prove they are legally authorized if required by local regulations, and Meta may ask to review this authorization before allowing ads to run.

Some mandatory rules to follow in this category include:

• Advertisers must adhere to all applicable laws and industry regulations.
• Certain services, such as cryptocurrency, need written approval from Meta before running.
• Ads must clearly disclose terms, fees, and risks and cannot make false promises like guaranteed returns.
• Payday loans, paycheck advances, and bail bonds are prohibited.
• Debt relief ads must not mislead users about reducing or forgiving debt.
• Housing, employment, and credit-related ads in specific regions must use Special Ad Categories to prevent discrimination.

Gambling

When it comes to gambling ads, the house doesn’t always win—especially if you don’t follow Facebook’s strict rules. To ensure responsible promotion and legal compliance, gambling and betting ads must meet specific requirements before they can run on the platform.

• Advertisers must obtain written approval from Facebook before running gambling-related ads.
• Ads must comply with local laws and industry regulations in all target regions.
• Advertisers may be required to provide proof of licensing from relevant regulatory authorities.

• Ads must not mislead users about the chances of winning or promote excessive gambling.
• Promotions must include clear disclaimers about risks and responsible gambling.
• Gambling ads must not target minors or imply gambling is a way to solve financial problems.

• All gambling ads must target users 18+ (or higher where required by law) and be restricted from audiences in regions where gambling is illegal.

Ad targeting rules - personal attributes

Whew! That was a lot of legalese; however, we're not done yet. Even if you're not a part of any restricted or prohibited content industries, there are still some strict rules you must follow when targeting an audience on Meta.

We've all experienced some 'creepy' advertising where the ads seem a bit too personalized.

Facebook prohibits ad copy directly referencing personal attributes such as race, health, financial status, or identity. This can be a fine line to ride, as you want to personalize your content, but too much personalization can trigger a violation.

Here are some examples of personal attributes that would be flagged alongside safer versions:

❌ Not Allowed: “Struggling with anxiety? Try this treatment.”
✅ Allowed: “Discover new ways to manage stress.”

❌ Not Allowed: “Are you drowning in debt? We can help.”
✅ Allowed: “Learn smart strategies for managing your finances.”

❌ Not Allowed: “Are you over 50 and worried about retirement?”
✅ Allowed: “Helpful retirement planning tips for every stage of life.”

P.S. If you're looking for examples of ad copy that fit the above criteria, you can use the Facebook Ad Library!

Meta’s Community Standards

At the core of Facebook’s rules are the Community Standards, which define what content is allowed on the platform, including (but not limited to) ad content.

These standards prohibit harmful behavior such as hate speech, violence, harassment, misinformation, and illegal activities. They also enforce policies on privacy, security, and authenticity to prevent fraud, data misuse, and impersonation.

In addition to following the advertising rules, advertisers must also ensure all ads follow Meta's Community Standards.

The Facebook ad approval process

Before an ad can run, it must go through Meta’s ad review process. This system checks that your ads comply with all of the rules mentioned above. The entire process is as follows:

1. Ad submission and initial review. Once an advertiser creates and submits an ad, Meta’s automated system reviews it. This process typically takes 24 hours or less, though it may take longer in some cases.
2. Manual review. If the system flags an issue, the ad may be sent for manual review by a human reviewer. This happens more often for sensitive industries (e.g., healthcare, financial services, political ads, etc.).
3. Ad approval or rejection. If approved, the ad starts running immediately and enters the active campaign. If rejected, the advertiser receives a notification with the reason for disapproval and can either edit the ad to comply or submit an appeal.
4. Appeals process. If an advertiser believes an ad was wrongly rejected, they can request a review through Facebook’s Account Quality Center. In some cases, this will trigger a manual review by a human reviewer.

Best practices for compliance with Facebook’s ad guidelines

No advertiser wakes up hoping to get an ad rejected. However, if you don't take the time to do a final review before you hit the publish button, you might find yourself in that scenario.

To prevent this issue, here's a handy checklist you should follow to ensure everything goes smoothly.

✅ Review Facebook’s ad policies – Confirm your ad follows Meta’s advertising guidelines and avoids prohibited or restricted content.

✅ Write clear and compliant ad copy – Avoid misleading claims, clickbait, or references to personal attributes.

✅ Check landing page compliance – Ensure the landing page aligns with the ad, is not deceptive, and does not contain banned content.

✅ Target audiences ethically – Follow age restrictions, use Special Ad Categories for housing, employment, and credit ads, and optimize your targeting to avoid discriminatory practices.

✅ Use appropriate ad creatives – Avoid shocking imagery, misleading visuals, or banned imagery.

✅ Get pre-approval for restricted content – If your ad promotes gambling, cryptocurrency, or financial services, obtain written approval from Meta.

✅ Stay informed - Facebook updates happen frequently, and the best way to ensure your ads are approved is to keep on top of the new changes.

Consequences of violating guidelines

Breaking Facebook’s ad rules isn’t just a slap on the wrist—it can mean fewer eyeballs on your ads, a suspended account, or even a permanent ban.

If you want to keep your campaigns running smoothly, here’s what you risk by violating Facebook’s ad policies:

• Ad rejection – If your ad breaks the rules, it won’t run, and you’ll need to edit it or appeal. Facebook provides a reason for rejection, but repeated violations could flag your account for closer scrutiny.
• Account restrictions – Frequent violations can result in temporary ad account suspensions, making it harder to run future campaigns. In more severe cases, Meta may permanently disable your ad account, cutting off access to advertising altogether.
• Business Page penalties – Pages that repeatedly violate ad policies may face reduced engagement, limited ad privileges, or even removal from Meta’s ad platform.
• Platform-wide bans – Extreme violations, like fraud, misinformation, or deceptive practices, can lead to a permanent ban from Facebook ads. If you try to bypass restrictions by creating new accounts, Meta may blacklist you entirely.

It's safe to say that spending the extra time to ensure your ads are not in breach of Meta's ad guidelines is the best way to ensure the health (and longevity) of your account.

FAQ

What are the restrictions on Facebook ads?

Facebook restricts certain types of ads to comply with legal regulations and protect users. Ads for alcohol, gambling, and financial services may require pre-approval and must follow local laws. Health and wellness, weight loss, and reproductive health ads must avoid misleading claims and can only target users 18 and older.

Housing, employment, and credit-related ads must use Special Ad Categories, which limit targeting options to prevent discrimination. Advertisers must ensure their campaigns meet these guidelines to avoid rejection or account penalties.

What is not allowed in a Facebook ad?

Facebook does not allow ads that promote illegal, misleading, or harmful content. Prohibited content includes illegal products or services like drugs, weapons, and counterfeit goods. Ads cannot contain false claims, misinformation, or exaggerated promises, especially in health, finance, or weight loss. Shocking or violent imagery, hate speech, and discriminatory content are also banned.

Additionally, sexual content, adult services, and financial scams such as pyramid schemes and payday loans are not allowed. Violating these policies can result in ad rejection, account restrictions, or permanent bans.

Conclusion

Facebook ads can be a powerful tool to grow your business—if you play by the rules.

By following Facebook’s ad guidelines, keeping your content clear and compliant, and staying proactive with targeting and approvals, you can avoid ad rejections, maximize reach, and run successful campaigns without unexpected roadblocks.

So, whether you’re launching your first ad or managing a complex Facebook ad strategy, remember: compliance isn’t just a requirement—it’s essential for long-term success.

Now, go out there and run ads that convert, comply, and crush it!