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Weight-loss ads: what Meta, TikTok, Google, LinkedIn and X allow

Short answer

Weight-loss products and programs can be advertised on Meta, Google and TikTok (in many countries), but ads get rejected for promising a specific result in a set time, suggesting weight loss is effortless or guaranteed, or making people feel bad about their bodies. Meta and TikTok require an 18+ audience for weight-loss claims, and LinkedIn treats unrealistic diet and weight-loss claims as prohibited.

Age targeting comes first

Meta requires ads for weight-loss or weight-gain products and services to target people 18 or older. TikTok requires any weight-loss or muscle-gain claim to be restricted to audiences 18 or older and framed around a healthy lifestyle.

General fitness is treated differently: Meta exempts products and services for general wellbeing, such as gyms and fitness equipment, and general food including protein products, from its 18+ rule.

Claims every platform rejects

The same few claim types get weight-loss ads rejected almost everywhere.

  • Specific results in a set time: Meta bans promises of specific outcomes within a set timeframe without disclaimers or qualifiers; Google gives “eat whatever you want and lose 10 pounds in a month” as an unreliable claim; X prohibits promoting results within a specific period.
  • Effortless or guaranteed results: TikTok bans claims that losing weight is easy or guaranteed, or that the product alone works without diet or exercise. Meta bans claims that results come solely from wearable products.
  • Unrealistic results: LinkedIn uses “Lose 22 kg in one week with detox tea!” as an example of a prohibited miracle diet claim.
  • Unhealthy behavior: TikTok and LinkedIn don't allow content that promotes disordered eating or an unhealthy relationship with food.

Body image and before-and-after

Meta prohibits weight-loss ads with statements of inferiority about someone's appearance or body parts, and close-ups of specific body areas showing someone pinching fat. TikTok's Body image rules forbid shaming people about their bodies, suggesting an ideal body, or claiming that looking a certain way makes someone happier or more successful.

Before-and-after rules vary. Meta, when targeting people 18+, allows weight-loss ads to show people using the product and its impact, as long as they clearly indicate how long it took to see results. TikTok bans before-and-after comparisons that could give a false impression, and LinkedIn lists before-and-after weight-loss images as violations.

Supplements, prescription drugs and procedures

Prescription weight-loss drugs fall under each platform's pharmaceutical rules. For prescription weight-loss products, Meta's Health and Wellness policy points to its Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy and its country-targeting and written-permission requirements. Google bans products containing hCG in relation to weight loss and supplements with active pharmaceutical or dangerous ingredients.

TikTok allows weight-loss supplements and meal replacements only in listed countries (including the United States, Canada, the UK and most of the EU), and weight-loss surgery only in some markets with permission from a TikTok sales representative.

Before you publish

Focus on the product, the routine and healthy habits, not on how many kilos people will lose or how fast. If you show results on Meta, say how long they took; on TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube, avoid before-and-after comparisons. Make sure the landing page follows the same rules, since TikTok's policy covers landing pages explicitly.

InspectAd AI can check a weight-loss ad against Meta, TikTok, Google, LinkedIn and X policies before you publish it, and it can also create ads, which helps you spot time-bound promises and body-shaming wording early.

Risky copy and safer rewrites

Likely to be flagged

“Eat whatever you want and lose 10 pounds in a month.”

Safer rewrite

“A meal-planning app to help you build habits that last.”

Google uses this exact claim as an example of unrealistic weight loss.

Likely to be flagged

“Wear this belt and melt belly fat.”

Safer rewrite

“A workout app with 20-minute routines you can do at home.”

Meta bans claims that results can come solely from a wearable product.

Likely to be flagged

“Embarrassed by your thighs? Fix them in 2 weeks.”

Safer rewrite

“Find a training plan that fits your schedule.”

Statements that attack someone's body and time-bound results are prohibited on Meta and TikTok.

Likely to be flagged

“Guaranteed to drop 2 sizes, no diet needed.”

Safer rewrite

“Designed to support a balanced diet and regular exercise.”

TikTok bans claims that weight loss is guaranteed or that a product works without diet or exercise.

Check your ad before you publish

Upload your ad or paste your copy: InspectAd AI checks it against these policies and suggests compliant rewrites. Or create a new ad with AI and check it before export.

Questions

Can I run weight-loss ads to people under 18?

Not on Meta or TikTok: Meta requires 18+ targeting for weight-loss products and services, and TikTok requires weight-loss and muscle-gain claims to be restricted to audiences 18 or older.

Are before-and-after photos allowed in weight-loss ads?

On Meta, with an 18+ audience, ads can show a product's impact if they clearly state how long results took, but no pinched-fat close-ups. TikTok and LinkedIn don't allow misleading or weight-loss before-and-after comparisons.

Can I advertise weight-loss supplements?

On TikTok, only in listed countries and to people 18+. On Google, not if the product contains hCG for weight loss, active pharmaceutical ingredients, or is on its unapproved list.

Can I say how much weight customers lost?

Be careful: Google requires testimonials that claim specific results to carry a visible disclaimer that results vary, and Meta requires qualifiers on time-bound outcomes.

Official sources

Platforms change their policies. This guide summarises them and isn't legal advice; the linked pages are the reference.