Snap Advertising Policies

General Information
General Requirements
Prohibited Content
Industry-Specific Requirements

1. General Information

We want Snapchatters to have fun and to be safe, and those goals drive our Advertising Policies. Advertisers must be honest about the products, services, and content their ads promote; they must avoid content that misleads, deceives, or offends; and they must never compromise our users' privacy. These Advertising Policies apply to all ads served by Snap. The paid promotion of products or services on the Snap platform other than through ads served by Snap must also comply with these Advertising Policies.

Advertisers must 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.

Advertisers are responsible for ensuring that their ads are suitable for Snapchatters ages 13+ (or their selected audience) in each geographic area where the ads will run. They're also responsible for ensuring that their ads comply with all applicable laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, public order rules, industry codes, and regulations in each geographic area where the ads will run. Ads for certain products or services may not be targeted on the basis of gender, age, or location.

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.

Our users 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.

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. 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.

2. General Requirements

2.1 Disclosures

All required disclosures, disclaimers, and warnings in ads must be clear and conspicuous.

Advertiser(s) must be accurately and clearly identified in the ad.

2.2 Data Collection & Usage

Ads may not collect information about racial or ethnic origin, political opinion, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, health, sex life, or medical history.

The advertiser’s privacy policy must be readily available 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.

2.3 Infringing Content

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.

2.4 References to Snap

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, 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 Promotions

Promotions on Snapchat are subject to Snap’s Promotion Rules.

3. Prohibited Content

3.1 Inappropriate Content

Ads that encourage dishonest behavior. (e.g., ads for fake IDs, plagiarism, essay writing services).
Ads that address or are intended to appeal specifically to children under the age of 13.
Ads that may be considered culturally inappropriate in the targeted location.
Ads containing profanity or obscene gestures.
Ads that depict nudity (with the exception of breastfeeding in certain circumstances), sexual content, objectification of genders, or sexually suggestive imagery.
Ads for adult products and services, including strip clubs, escort services, and specialty shops for adult products.
Ads that promote cigarettes (including e-cigarettes), cigars, vaping products, tobacco, nicotine, or related products of any kind.
Ads targeted to countries subject to U.S. trade sanctions and other U.S. export control laws.
Ads that encourage illegal activity, conduct, products, or enterprises.
Ads that depict drug use, or excessive or irresponsible drinking.
Ads that promote illegal wildlife trade, and products and services derived from endangered or threatened species.
Ads intended to shock the user.
Ads that encourage violence or depict hyper-realistic violence.
Ads that encourage Snapping and driving or other dangerous behaviors.
Ads that promote sales of firearms, weapons, ammunition, or related accessories.
Ads that solicit the user’s participation in lawsuits.

3.2 Deceptive Content

Ads that are false or misleading, including deceptive claims, offers, functionality, or business practices.
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.

3.3 Low Quality or Disruptive Experiences

Ads that lead to non-functional landing pages or landing pages with unexpected or disruptive user experiences, including landing pages that attempt to automatically download files.
Ads that lead to landing pages that include a majority of unrelated or low quality ad content, or where content is extended solely to include unrelated or low quality ad content.

3.4 Hateful or Discriminatory Content

Ads that demean, degrade, discriminate, or show hate toward a particular race, ethnicity, culture, country, belief, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, condition, or toward any member of a protected class.
Ads that promote harassment or bullying.

4. Industry-Specific Requirements

4.1 Mainstream Dating Services

Ads for dating services must be age targeted to 18+ and must not be provocative, overtly sexual in nature, or reference transactional companionship. All individuals pictured in ads for dating services must not be, or appear to be, too young to use the service.

Snap does not permit advertisements that promote or glamorize infidelity.

Snap does not permit targeting ads for online dating services to the following countries:

Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates.

4.2 Alcohol

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.
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.

4.3 Gambling Services

Our ad policies regarding the promotion of Gambling Services apply to the promotion of online casinos, brick and mortar casinos, lotteries, daily fantasy sports, and any product or service that asks Snapchatters to pay to play games of chance to win prizes with real-world value ("Gambling Services").

Advertisers for Gambling Services must comply with all applicable licensing or registration requirements and must provide Snap with proof of current license or registration. All 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 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).

4.4 Entertainment

Ads for movies, videogames, and television shows must be age-targeted to the intended audience of the content they promote.

4.5 Financial Products & 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 the following are not permitted:

Get-rich-quick offers, pyramid schemes, or other deceptive or too-good-to-be true financial offers.
Ads that promote particular securities or that provide or allege to provide insider tips.
Payday loans or predatory lending.
Cryptocurrency including: wallets, trading platforms, and initial coin offerings (ICOs), unless prior approval is obtained from Snap.

4.6 Pharmaceutical & Healthcare

Ads for pharmaceutical and healthcare 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.

Online Pharmacy

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).

Prescription Medicines

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.

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.

Over the Counter (OTC) Medicines

Advertisers of OTC medicines may require pre-approval from Snap.

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 Supplements

Ads for health and dietary supplements 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+.

Diet and Fitness

Any ads that contain over-exaggerated claims or “before and after” images, or otherwise demean the user are not allowed.
Ads for food products must accurately describe the qualities and characteristics of a food product, including any associated health and nutritional claims.

Condoms

Where ads for condoms are permitted, content may not be provocative or overtly sexual in nature.

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

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+.

Plastic Surgery

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+.

4.7 Political Advertising

Political ads are subject to Snap's Political Ad Policies.

In Canada, “partisan advertising” or “election advertising” (as defined by the Canada Elections Act, as amended from time to time (“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 is only permitted to run using an Ad Account created to be used for "Political Ads". This may include (without limitation) content which promotes or opposes any of these individuals/groups, or an issue associated with any of those individuals/groups.