Prohibited vs restricted ads: Meta, Google, and TikTok
Direct answerProhibited products cannot be advertised. Restricted products can run only with extra gates (age, country, certification, or written permission). Meta Special Ad Categories add targeting limits for housing, jobs, and financial offers. Classify the SKU before you debate headlines.
A four-bucket decision tree
Google’s Advertising Policies overview is the clearest public taxonomy. Use it as a thinking tool on every platform, then read that platform’s own list:
- Prohibited content — you cannot advertise this (counterfeits, many weapons and explosives, tobacco on Google, recreational drugs).
- Prohibited practices — the product might be legal, the tactic is not (cloaking, malware, dishonest-behavior tools).
- Restricted content — allowed with limits (alcohol, healthcare, gambling, financial products, political ads, some sexual content).
- Editorial / destination quality — the page must work and match the ad. See landing-page mismatch.
Meta does not use those four headings, but the Advertising Standards still split unacceptable/illegal content, restricted goods and services (alcohol, dating, gambling, crypto permission, health), and objectionable copy rules. TikTok’s advertising policies hub plus industry-entry rules cover prohibited industries and restricted industries that need authorization.
High-traffic categories, grounded in official lists
This table summarizes published platform positions. It is not exhaustive. Country law can be stricter. Recheck the linked policies before you launch.
| Category | Meta | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tobacco / nicotine vapes. Operating checklist: tobacco and nicotine ads. | Prohibited (cessation products with WHO/FDA approval are a narrow exception) | Prohibited under dangerous products: tobacco, components, and smoking simulators | Prohibited, including pouches and vapes. Quit campaigns have a narrow allowance. |
| Weapons, ammo, explosives. Operating checklist: weapons and ammunition ads. | Prohibited, including modification accessories. Some non-weapon accessories at 18+. | Firearms and combat weapons prohibited. Safety devices such as gun locks are a named allowance. | Guns and explosives prohibited. Some culinary knives and fictional depictions may be allowed. |
| Counterfeit goods. Operating checklist: dupes and replicas. | IP — products that copy a mark or distinctive features to imitate the genuine good | Explicitly prohibited. Egregious: suspension can be immediate. | Counterfeits, replicas, and imitations are not allowed |
| Alcohol | Restricted: law, 18+ minimum, some countries banned | Restricted: allowed countries, no minors, extra rules for lookalike drinks | Restricted / market-specific; often 18+. Operating checklist: alcohol ads. |
| Online gambling | Prior written permission; 18+ | Certification, allowed countries, responsible-gambling info, no minors | Restricted industry; authorization. Operating checklist: gambling ads. |
| Crypto trading / staking | Prior written permission for many trading/monetization products | Cryptocurrencies policy; certification and location limits; some products prohibited | Finance industry entry — not self-serve by default. Operating checklist: crypto ads. |
| Dating | Prior written permission plus dating guidelines | Dating and Companionship certification (General vs Restricted) | Adult-content / sales-rep path in allowed markets. Operating checklist: dating ads. |
| Healthcare / Rx / pharmacies | Restricted; addiction-treatment ads in the US need LegitScript plus Meta permission | Healthcare certification for listed categories | Market table; many Rx bans outside the US. Operating checklists: telehealth / Rx and CBD / cannabis. |
Meta’s advertising policy basics checklist is a shorter prohibited-products reminder (adult products, tobacco, unsafe supplements, Rx, recreational drugs, weapons). Use it as a preflight, not as the full standard.
Do not mix these three Meta ideas
- Prohibited SKU — tobacco. No rewrite helps.
- Restricted SKU — gambling, dating, many crypto products. Apply first using the vertical playbooks, not a headline rewrite.
- Special Ad Category — a legal mortgage is allowed but must use housing/financial targeting limits.
Health claims on an otherwise allowed vitamin are a fourth idea — see supplement and wellness ads.
Classification workflow
- Name the SKU in one sentence (what is actually sold on the thank-you page).
- Check the destination against that platform’s prohibited list first. If it is prohibited, stop — do not “soften the headline.”
- If it is restricted, list the conditions: age, geo, license, application form, landing-page disclosures.
- On Meta, ask a second question: is this also a Special Ad Category (housing, employment, financial)?
- Only then write claims. Restricted advertisers still fail for misleading results and personal attributes.
Edge case: accessory products. A glass bottle sold as kitchenware is not a bong until the landing page teaches drug use. A kitchen knife is not a weapon ad until the creative is tactical. Reviewers read the destination. Cloaking a prohibited SKU behind a lifestyle homepage is a prohibited practice on Google (“cloaking”) and deceptive on Meta.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between prohibited and restricted ads?
Prohibited means the product or practice cannot be advertised on that platform (for example, tobacco on Meta and Google). Restricted means it can run only with extra conditions: age targeting, country limits, written permission, or certification. Special Ad Categories on Meta are a third idea: targeting limits for housing, jobs, and financial ads, even when the product itself is allowed.
Can I advertise alcohol?
Usually restricted, not prohibited. Meta requires legal compliance and at least 18+ targeting, and bans alcohol ads in some countries. Google allows alcohol in explicitly allowed countries, not targeting minors, with extra rules for alcohol-like drinks. Always check the live country list. The operating checklist (sale vs brand, irresponsible-drinking copy, TikTok’s under-25 talent rule) is the alcohol ads playbook.
Is crypto prohibited?
On Meta, crypto trading platforms and related monetization products need prior written permission. Google treats many crypto products under a dedicated cryptocurrencies policy with certification and location limits — ICOs and DeFi protocols are a different, prohibited bucket. TikTok finance is industry-gated and market-specific. The exchange-and-wallet operating checklist is the crypto ads playbook.
If Google certifies me, will Meta and TikTok approve the same ad?
No. Certifications are not portable. Each platform has its own permission form, and copy rules still apply after you are allowlisted.
Sources
- Google Ads policies overview
- Meta Advertising Standards
- Meta advertising policy basics checklist
- TikTok advertising policies
Product lists change by country and year. This page is a reading of public policy hubs as of September 17, 2026. Confirm the live article for your SKU and market. Not legal advice.
Preflight the category before you write the hook
LaunchGuarding will not make a prohibited product eligible — but it will catch claim and copy patterns that get restricted advertisers rejected after they already have permission.