Illegal tobacco ads are still slipping through social media in Australia, Quit says

Wellbeing | 4 October 2026

Illegal tobacco advertising is continuing to appear on social-media platforms in Australia despite enforcement action, according to public-health organisation Quit.

ABC News reported that it had seen examples of tobacco advertisements on Facebook that remained visible after being reported by a user. Meta later told the ABC it had removed the content and acted against the accounts and pages involved.

What enforcement has already happened?

Under Australian law, advertising or promoting smoking and tobacco products is heavily restricted. ABC reported that, as of 1 July, the Therapeutic Goods Administration had around 200 active investigations into online advertising, had blocked 436 websites, issued 505 advertising warnings and imposed about $1.51 million in fines.

Quit argues that this represents only part of the activity occurring online and wants stronger consequences for retailers and digital platforms that allow unlawful advertising to remain visible.

Why public-health groups are concerned

The concern is not only that individual advertisements may breach the law. Repeated exposure can also make tobacco and nicotine products appear more normal or socially accepted, particularly when advertising is inserted into the same feeds people use for entertainment and communication.

Digital enforcement is difficult because accounts, domains and creative material can change quickly. That makes platform detection, reporting systems and regulator response times important parts of the enforcement chain.

Source

Read the full report from ABC News.

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