Harmful

All ads should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society. They must not cause serious or widespread harm or use approaches that are likely to encourage socially irresponsible behaviour.

This includes not causing fear or distress without justifiable reason (and where justified, the fear or distress should not be excessive) and not condoning or encouraging unsafe practice.

We have upheld complaints about harm and social responsibility against a diverse range of ads including:

Alcohol – e.g. not encouraging excessive or unwise styles of drinking
Motoring – e.g. not encouraging motorists to drive irresponsibly such as at high speed or without a seatbelt
Health – e.g. not discouraging essential treatment of serious or prolonged ailments
Body Image – e.g. not encouraging an unhealthy diet or lifestyle including the depiction of extremely thin models

Particularly special care should be taken when ads are addressed to, or depict, children or young people. Ads that fall in to this category should contain nothing that is likely to result in a child’s physical, mental or moral harm and they should not exploit a child’s credulity, loyalty, vulnerability or lack of experience.

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Latest rulings

Express Healthcare Ltd t/a pharmacyonline
- Upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 07 October 2026
Two paid-for Meta ads and a website for an online pharmacy made medicinal claims and promoted unlicensed products. They also promoted prescription-only medicines to the public, against the law and our rules.
Juniper Technologies UK Ltd
- Upheld
- Search (paid)
- 07 October 2026
A paid-for Google ad for an online pharmacy promoted prescription-only medicines to the public, against the law and our rules.
Simple Online Healthcare Ltd t/a Simple Online Pharmacy
- Upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 07 October 2026
Two paid-for social media ads for an online pharmacy made medicinal claims and promoted unlicensed products. They also promoted prescription-only medicines to the public, against the law and our rules.
Animcha Ltd t/a tyan.ai
- Upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 16 September 2026
A paid-for Meta ad for an AI companion generator app was socially irresponsible and caused serious or widespread offence, including by featuring a harmful gender stereotype that objectified and sexualised women. The ad also portrayed someone who was or appeared to be under 18 years of age in a sexual way.

View all rulings

Harmful

All ads should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and society. They must not cause serious or widespread harm or use approaches that are likely to encourage socially irresponsible behaviour.

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Latest rulings

Express Healthcare Ltd t/a pharmacyonline

Juniper Technologies UK Ltd

Simple Online Healthcare Ltd t/a Simple Online Pharmacy

Animcha Ltd t/a tyan.ai

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