Snap Advertising Policies
1. Introduction
Snapchat is an app that empowers people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. It's the easiest and fastest way to communicate the full range of human emotions with your friends without pressure to be popular, pretty, or perfect.
In that spirit of authenticity, we expect advertisers to be honest about their products, services, and content, to be kind to our diverse community, and to never compromise Snapchatters’ privacy.
These Advertising Policies apply to all aspects of advertisements (“ads”) served by Snap––including any creative elements, landing page, or other relevant components of the ads themselves––and you are responsible for ensuring all ads comply.
Advertisers are also required to comply with Snap’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines, and all other Snap policies governing the use of our Services. We may update our terms, policies, and guidelines from time to time, so please check in and review them regularly.
All ads are subject to our review and approval. We reserve the right to reject or remove any ad in our sole discretion for any reason, including in response to user feedback, which we take seriously. We also reserve the right to request modifications to any ad, to require factual substantiation for any claim made in an ad, or to require documents evidencing that you hold any license or authorization which may be required in connection with your ad.
Snap may suspend or terminate accounts tied to businesses or individuals who violate our Advertising Policies.
Snapchatters may share ads with others or save ads to their devices. They may use any of the tools and features we make available in Snapchat to apply captions, drawings, filters, or other creative elements to the ad or, if you run ads in the Audience Network, they may use any tools and features made available where the ad is run. Age-targeted ads can be shared within Snapchat with Snapchatters of any age. To find out if you can restrict ad sharing and ad saving for your ads within Snapchat, please contact your account representative or visit our Business Help Center.
We may publish information related to ads (including the creative, targeting, paying entity, contact information, and the price paid for those ads), or share that information with third parties, including: (a) our media partners when your ads run in content related to that media partner; and (b) third parties whose products or services you’ve elected to use in connection with the ads.
As we say in our Terms of Service, if you use a service, feature, or functionality that is operated by a third party and made available through our Services (including Services we jointly offer with the third party), each party’s terms will govern the respective party’s relationship with you. Snap and its affiliates are not responsible or liable for a third party’s terms or actions.
2. General Requirements
All ads must be suitable for their selected audience in each geographic area where the ads will run. Snapchat is a 13+ app, so we will reject ads that are addressed to, or intended to appeal to, children under 13.
Ads must comply with all applicable laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, public order rules, industry codes, regulations, and cultural sensitivities in each geographic area where the ads will run. Please note:
Ads for certain products or services may not be targeted on the basis of gender, age, or location.
Certain locations have language requirements.
As a US-based company, Snap will not accept ads targeted to or paid for by entities in countries subject to U.S. trade sanctions or certain other U.S. export control laws.
2.2 Disclosures
All required disclosures, disclaimers, and warnings in ads must be clear and conspicuous (see Ad Specifications and Guidelines for more detail), and advertisers must be accurately and clearly identified in the ad.
2.3 Privacy: Data Collection and Usage
Advertisements may not collect sensitive information or special category data, including information based on or including: (i) an alleged or actual commission of a crime; (ii) health information; or (iii) information about users’ financial status, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or preferences, sex life or sexual preferences, political opinions, or trade union membership. We permit health-related surveys only from accredited research institutions or public health organizations.
The advertiser’s privacy policy must be readily accessible where any personal information is collected.
Personal information must be collected and processed securely. Ads that deceive users into providing personal information under false pretenses are prohibited.
Ads must not state or imply knowledge of personal data, sensitive information, online activity, or the precise whereabouts of a user.
2.4 Intellectual Property
Ads must not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other legal rights of any person or entity. Advertisers must have all necessary rights and permissions for all elements of their ads. Ads may not feature the name, likeness (including look-alikes), voice (including sound-alikes), or other identifying features of an individual without the individual's consent.
The following is prohibited:
Ads for products or services principally used to infringe the intellectual property rights of others, such as those designed to bypass copyright protection mechanisms (for example, software or cable signal descramblers).
Ads for products or services principally dedicated to selling counterfeit products, such as imitations of designer or officially-licensed products.
Ads for products or services with false celebrity testimonials or usage.
If you believe your copyright, trademark, or publicity rights have been infringed by an ad served on Snapchat, we encourage you to attempt to contact and resolve your concerns with the advertiser directly. Alternatively, rightsholders and their agents can report alleged intellectual property infringement to Snap here. We take all such reports seriously.
Ads must not suggest an affiliation with or endorsement by Snap or its products. This means that ads must not use any Snap-owned trademark or copyright, Bitmoji artwork, or representations of the Snapchat user interface, except as permitted in the Snapchat Brand Guidelines or the Bitmoji Brand Guidelines. Nor may ads contain altered or confusingly similar variations of any Snap-owned trademark.
2.5 Creative Quality and Landing Page
All ads must meet high quality and editorial standards. Please visit the Specs and Creative Guidelines section of our Business Help Center for the technical and creative specifications for each of our ad products. Ad creatives that do not meet these guidelines will be rejected.
When reviewing ads, we apply our policies not only to the ad’s creative (such as the “top Snap,” Filter, or Sponsored Lens), but also to the ad’s landing page or other associated elements. We reject ads with landing pages that are:
Low quality (e.g., dead links, pages that are non-functional or not formatted for mobile phones)
Disruptive (e.g., unexpected user experiences, sudden loud noises, aggressive flashing)
Irrelevant (e.g., pages that don’t match the product or service being advertised, or that unnecessarily draw out the purchase process in order to expose the user to more and more ads)
Unsafe (e.g., attempts to automatically download files or phish for user data)
2.6 Promotions
Promotions on Snapchat are subject to Snap’s Promotion Rules.
3. Category-Specific Requirements
3.1 Adult Content
All ads must respect the laws and cultural norms of the targeted location, even if they are more strict than the guidelines listed on this page.
Adult content includes depictions of, or references to:
Sexual organs
Other frequently-sexualized body parts (for example: butts, breasts, legs, bare abdomens)
Sexual activity
We conditionally allow adult content that it is not intended to provoke sexual arousal, in these contexts:
References to human genitalia sexual anatomy in the context of health, personal grooming, or education.
Examples: menstrual products, STI testing, safer sex PSAs from reputable sources, or a trailer for a documentary about human sexual anatomy.
References and depictions of internal sexual organs in a health context.
Examples: pregnancy tests, ovulation kits, pelvic floor therapy.
Incidental depictions of the pelvic area, if clothed.
Examples: belts, compression shorts, bikini bottoms
Emphasis on frequently-sexualized body parts that are relevant to a non-sexualerotic product or service.
Examples: ads for swimwear, bare abdominal muscles in ads for exercise programs, or references to butts in an ad for a comfortable chair.
References to sexual activity in a health or public safety context.
Examples: an educational PSA about sexual consent, or positive references to sexual orientation or gender identity.
Dating ads (as long as there are no references to sexual activity)
We restrict content that is sexually suggestive (i.e., intended to provoke sexual arousal, without being explicit). Suggestive content must be age-gated 18+ (or the age of majority in the targeted location). We do not permit sexually suggestive Sponsored Lenses. Restricted sexually suggestive content includes:
References to sexual anatomy human genitalia or non-specific sexual activity outside of a health, grooming or educational context.
Examples: a movie trailer with sexual innuendo, vibrator ads that do not use graphic language or imagery to describe their purposeallude to masturbation (without graphic language), condom ads that use non-specific phrases like “getting it on.”
Emphasis on frequently-sexualized body parts that are not relevant to the product or service.
We prohibit content that is sexually explicit. This includes:
Sexual solicitation of any kind.
Depictions or graphic descriptions of genitalia in any context, exposed nipples or bare buttocks, or partially-obscured nudity.
Examples: a person that is naked except for body paint or emojis.
Depictions of, or references to specific sex acts, in any context. This includes gestures that imitate a specific sex act, with or without props.
Dating ads that emphasize casual sexual encounters.
Sexual solicitation of any kind.
Adult entertainment
Examples: pornography, sexual live streams, strip clubs, burlesque.
Non-consensual sexual material.
Examples: tabloids that publish leaked, private, suggestive photos
Depictions of, or gratuitous references to sexual violence
Examples: graphic movie trailers that depict sexual assault, self-defense products that describe attempted sexual assault
3.2 Regulated Goods
Ads that promote or reference alcohol must not:
Target or be likely to appeal particularly to people under the legal drinking age in the territory where the ad will run.
Encourage or depict excessive or irresponsible consumption of alcohol.
Exploit an individual who is drunk or otherwise intoxicated.
Glamorize alcohol, or otherwise misrepresent the effects of consuming alcohol, or imply that alcohol is necessary for success or social advancement
Associate alcohol with operating a vehicle or other activities that require a certain degree of skill or physical coordination, or with any illegal behavior.
Mandatory warning labels, such as “please drink responsibly” or its local variation (if applicable) must be prominently displayed in the ad.
Snap does not permit targeting ads that promote or reference alcohol to the following countries:
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Ads for alcohol products must be age targeted to at least 18+, or the applicable minimum drinking age in the country to which you are advertising:
Canada: 19+.
Japan, Thailand: 20+.
United States: 21+.
Sweden: 25+.
India: either 18+, 21+, or 25+ depending on the States or Union Territories being targeted.
We prohibit the depiction of illegal drug use or the recreational use of pharmaceuticals.
We allow some limited ads for cannabis, CBD and related products, where legal, with appropriate targeting.
We do not allow the depiction of smoking or vaping, except in the context of public health messaging or smoking cessation.
We prohibit ads for the sales of weapons and explosives and related accessories. This includes firearms, ammunition, fireworks, combat knives and pepper spray.
3.3 Entertainment
Ads for movies, videogames, and television shows must be age-targeted to the intended audience of the content they promote.
When illegal, regulated, dangerous, violent or otherwise harmful elements are presented in a fictional, newsworthy or documentary context, we will review based on appropriateness for the targeted audience, and whether the fictional nature is clear enough to the user.
3.4 Health
Advertisements for health related products and services must only promote those products or services that have been approved by the local regulatory authorities in each of the countries targeted.
Ads for online pharmacies must be registered with the relevant authorities in the country in which you are advertising. For example, in the United States and Canada online pharmacies must be verified by the National Association of Board of Pharmacies (NABP).
All advertisers of prescription medicines must be pre-approved by Snap and may be required to submit proof of authorization to advertise the medicine in the applicable jurisdiction. To get started, please fill out this Health Related Products & Services advertiser form.
Snap permits targeting ads for prescription medications only to the following countries:
Algeria, Bahrain, Canada, Costa Rica, Egypt, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
All advertisers of OTC medicines must be pre-approved by Snap and may be required to submit proof of authorization to advertise the medicine in the applicable jurisdiction. To get started, please fill out this Health Related Products & Services advertiser form.
Snap does not permit targeting ads for OTC medicines to the following countries:
Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon, Romania, Spain, and Turkey.
Age targeting is required in the following countries:
Czech Republic: 15+.
Israel, and the United Kingdom: 16+.
Argentina, Egypt, Finland, Italy, Kuwait, Lithuania, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Russia, and Sweden: 18+.
Health and dietary supplement advertisers must be pre-approved by Snap and may be required to submit proof of authorization to advertise the product in the applicable jurisdiction. To get started, please fill out this Health Related Products & Services advertiser form.
Advertisers must not:
Promote products that may present risks for consumers (such as those included in advisories by local regulatory agencies).
Promote weight-loss supplements.
Contain exaggerated or unrealistic claims.
Include “before and after” pictures related to weight loss.
Age targeting is required in the following countries:
Colombia, Greece, Kuwait, and the United States: 18+.
Ads for diet and fitness products or services must not:
Contain over-exaggerated claims or “before and after” images
Demean the user, or shame anyone on the basis of body shape or size
Mislead or inaccurately describe the qualities and characteristics of a food product, including any associated health and nutritional claims.
Ads that reference weight loss must be targeted 18+.
Where ads for condoms are permitted, content may not depict sex acts or overly provocative imagery. See the Adult Content section for more details.
Snap does not permit targeting ads for condoms to the following countries:
Bahrain, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Monaco, Oman, Poland, and Qatar.
Age targeting is required in the following countries:
Norway: 16+.
Australia, Chile, Egypt, Lithuania, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, and Turkey: 18+.
Hormonal contraceptives classified as medicines are subject to the policies for either prescriptions or OTC, as applicable according to country-specific requirements.
Snap does not permit targeting ads for hormonal contraceptives to the following countries:
Bahrain, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Monaco, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay.
Age targeting is required in the following countries:
Australia, Egypt, Lithuania, Portugal, and Slovakia: 18+.
Snap does not permit targeting ads for plastic surgery to the following countries:
Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Monaco, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Tunisia, and Turkey.
Ads for plastic surgery must be age targeted to 18+, except Bahrain where they must be age targeted to 21+.
Ads for non-surgical cosmetic procedures (e.g., lip fillers, botox) must be age targeted 18+.
We prohibit ads for skin lightening products or procedures.
3.5 Gaming, Gambling, and Lotteries
Our ad policies regarding the promotion of Gaming and Gambling Services apply to the promotion of online casinos, brick and mortar casinos, lotteries, daily fantasy sports, and any product or service (including online or mobile games) that asks Snapchatters to pay to play games of chance to win prizes with real-world value ("Gaming and Gambling Services").
Advertisers for Gaming and Gambling Services must comply with all applicable licensing or registration requirements and must provide Snap with proof of current license or registration. All Gaming and Gambling Services advertisers must be pre-approved by Snap. To apply for approval, please complete the Advertising of Gambling Services Application and agree to the Snap Gambling Terms
Ads for Gaming and Gambling Services must not:
Target territories where the advertiser is not authorized to operate.
Target or be likely to appeal particularly to people under the legal gambling age in the territory where the ad will run.
Glorify gambling or misrepresent the benefits of participation.
Encourage individuals to play beyond their means.
Ads must not promote gambling tipster services (information about odds or offers available from gambling operators).
3.6 Financial Products and Services
Ads for financial products and services must clearly and prominently disclose all applicable material terms and conditions to consumers prior to the submission of an application.
Ads for loans must disclose, among other things, APR, repayment period, fees and costs, penalties, and the contact information of the lending institution.
Ads for products intended for a limited audience should only be targeted to that audience. For example, if a credit card offer is limited to individuals over the age of 18, the offer’s ad campaign must be age targeted to 18+.
Ads for certain complex financial products, which may include cryptocurrency wallets and trading platforms, require prior approval from Snap.
We prohibit:
Get-rich-quick offers, pyramid schemes, or other deceptive or too-good-to-be true financial offers (see General Requirements: Fraud for more details).
Promising guaranteed financial returns on speculative investments
Ads that promote particular securities or that provide or allege to provide insider tips
Payday loans or predatory lending
3.7 Dating
Ads for dating services must be age targeted to 18+, or the legal age of majority in the location being targeted.
Ads for dating services may not:
Be overtly sexual or provocative (see Adult Content)
Reference transactional companionship
Depict individuals who are, or appear to be, too young to use the service
Promote or glamorize infidelity
Target the following countries:
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates.
3.8 Telecommunication Services
Ads for calling, SMS and VPN services must contain clear pricing and terms, and must not reference using their services illegally or in a classroom setting.
3.9 Sales to Government Entities
Government entities must work with a Snap sales representative and receive Snap authorization prior to running ads on our platform.
Snap does not accept ads submitted by, paid for by, or that promote, Russian state-owned entities.
3.10 Snap Political and Advocacy Advertising Policies
Snapchat empowers self-expression, including about politics. But political advertising that appears on Snapchat has to be transparent, lawful, and right for our users.
These Political Advertising Policies apply to all political ads served by Snap, including election-related ads, advocacy ads, and issue ads.
Election-related ads include ads about candidates or parties for public office, ballot measures or referendums, political action committees, and ads that urge people to vote or register to vote.
Advocacy or issue ads are ads concerning issues or organizations that are the subject of debate on a local, national, or global level, or of public importance. Examples include: ads about abortion, immigration, the environment, education, discrimination, and guns.
Political advertising must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including all national election laws, copyright law, defamation law, and (where applicable) Federal Election Commission regulations and state or local laws and regulations. Complying with those laws and regulations will be the sole responsibility of the advertiser.
All political advertising must include a “paid for by” message in the ad that is followed by the name of the paying person or entity. Snap may also require a “paid for by” disclosure on ad content that links to political content, ad content for political merchandise, or in other cases in Snap’s sole discretion. In the United States, electoral ads must state whether or not the ad was authorized by a candidate or organization, and election ads not authorized by the candidate must include contact information for the sponsoring organization.
Like all ads on Snapchat, political ads must comply with Snap's Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, and our Advertising Policies. That means, among other things:
No content that harasses, intimidates, or threatens.
No content that is misleading, deceptive, impersonates any person or entity, or otherwise misrepresents your affiliation with a person or entity.
No content that includes synthetic avatars, or visual or audio likenesses of a real person that have been manipulated for false or misleading purposes (whether through generative AI or through deceptive editing).
No content that violates the publicity, privacy, copyright, or other intellectual property rights of a third party.
No content that features graphic violence or calls for violence.
We encourage political advertisers to be positive. But we don't categorically ban “attack” ads; expressing disagreement with or campaigning against a candidate or party is generally permissible if it meets our other guidelines. That said, political ads must not include attacks relating to a candidate's personal life.
In Canada, Snap does not permit “partisan advertising” or “election advertising” (as defined by the Canada Elections Act, as amended from time to time (the “Act”)) purchased directly or indirectly on behalf of an eligible party, registered association, nomination contestant, potential or actual candidate, or a third party required to register under subsection 349.6(1) or 353(1) of the Act. This may include (without limitation) content that promotes or opposes any of these individuals/groups, or an issue associated with any of those individuals/groups.
In the US, Snap does not currently permit ads for state or municipal elections or ballot initiatives in Washington state.
Snap will review political ads on a case-by-case basis. To get started, please fill out our political advertiser form.
We reserve the right to reject, in our sole discretion, or request modifications to ads that we believe violate the standards listed above or that are otherwise inappropriate. Our discretion will never be exercised with the intent to favor or disfavor any candidate, political view, or political party.
We also reserve the right to require substantiation of an advertiser's factual claims.
Snap may publicly display and otherwise disclose information relating to political advertising, including ad content, targeting details, delivery, spend, and other campaign information.
Political ads served by Snap may not be paid for directly or indirectly by non-resident foreign nationals or entities -- in other words, by people or entities that aren’t residents of the country where the ad will run. There is a limited exception to this prohibition for political ads targeting any Member State of the European Union (EU), which may be paid for directly or indirectly by entities residing in another EU Member State.
We’re proud to maintain transparency with our political ad library.
4. Prohibited Content
4.1 Harassment
Ads should not promote harassment, bullying, or shaming. For example: fitness ads should not belittle anyone on the basis of body shape or size.
We prohibit profanity, obscenity and obscene gestures.
4.2 Violent or Disturbing
We prohibit the depiction of real-life graphic violence in creatives (e.g., top Snaps, Filters, Sponsored Lenses). Landing pages that depict real-life violent or disturbing imagery may do so only in a legitimate newsworthy or documentary context, only when the top Snap prepares the viewer in some way, and only if appropriately age-targeted.
For fictional violence in movie trailers, video games, etc., see the Entertainment section.
We prohibit the glorification of violence, including any glorification of self-harm, war, murder, abuse or animal abuse.
We prohibit disturbing content that may cause distress, such as graphic depictions of gore, physical afflictions, bodily fluids, and certain medical or cosmetic procedures.
We allow spooky and scary ads, but please avoid intense jump scares and audio of prolonged screaming or crying.
4.3 Deceptive Content
We are vigilant in our enforcement against fraudulent ads. Fraud includes a range of scams and deceptive marketing practices that abuse community trust or otherwise entice users to make purchases or engage in activities under misleading pretenses.
We prohibit:
Ads that are false or misleading, including deceptive claims, offers, functionality, or business practices, including manipulating content for false or misleading purposes (whether through generative AI or through deceptive editing).
Unauthorized or undisclosed sponsored content
Promotion of fraudulent goods or services, including counterfeit documents or certificates, or counterfeit products
Creating or sharing content that mimics the appearance or function of Snapchat features or formats
Ads that contain deceiving calls to action, or lead to landing pages unrelated to the brand or content being advertised.
Cloaking, otherwise restricting landing page access, or modifications to URL content following submission in an attempt to circumvent review.
Ads that encourage dishonest behavior. (e.g., ads for fake IDs, plagiarism, essay writing services).
Non-delivery of goods, or misrepresented shipping delays or inventory constraints
See also Industry Specifics: Financial products and services
4.4 Hate Speech, Hate Groups, Terrorism and Violent Extremism
The Snapchat community includes diverse users from all over the world. To foster a welcoming platform, we prohibit hateful, discriminatory, or extremist content that undermines our commitment to safety and inclusion.
Hate speech is content that demeans, defames, or promotes discrimination or violence on the basis of race, color, caste, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status, immigration status, socio-economic status, age, weight or pregnancy status.
Avoid perpetuating stereotypes based on any of the categories listed above.
We strive to maintain an inclusive community for all Snapchatters. Avoid the inappropriate use of culturally-sensitive imagery.
4.5 Illegal Activity
We prohibit ads that facilitate or encourage illegal activity (conduct, products, or enterprises). For example, ads should not:
depict illegal drug use
promote the illegal wildlife trade, or products and services derived from endangered or threatened species (For Example: elephant ivory products, traditional medicine or supplements derived from tigers, rhinos, sharks, etc.
4.6 Dangerous Activities
Ads should not encourage or enlist participation in dangerous or harmful activities. For example, ads should not encourage Snapping while driving.
5. Conclusion
For more information about how to launch and manage an ad campaign on Snapchat, or how to troubleshoot the ad review process, please visit our Business Help Center.