TikTok Faces Criticism After Increase in AI-Made Scam Ads

TikTok is facing criticism for letting a rise in fake ads made with AI reach users. The company depends on ad income, and critics say weak checks allow false and harmful ads to appear more often.

A filing with Ireland’s Company Registration Office shows TikTok lists advertising, paid features on the app, and merchandise as core revenue sources. As TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, moves heavily into AI, the platform has seen more AI-made content used in ads.

In recent weeks, users have reported many ads for fake health products. Examples include weight loss items and appetite suppressants. Some ads push “GLP-1 patches” that do not contain real GLP-1, the active substance in medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro. Other ads claim to cure “cortisol belly” and stress-linked weight gain.

Many of these ads send people to cloned websites that copy real shops. Scammers have even copied pharmacy sites to make the offers look real and trustworthy.

TikTok’s rules ban deceptive and misleading behavior and say accounts that break the rules will face suspension or bans. The company also says this about health content and misinformation. “To ensure that our community has access to accurate medical information to support well-informed health choices, we remove health misinformation relating to serious medical conditions or public health issues, or health misinformation that could lead to serious harm to individuals or discourage people from seeking proper medical care,” the company states.

Still, these AI-made ads keep appearing. TikTok offers tools for businesses, including a “TikTok for Business” service and a chatbot that helps users build ad campaigns. Those tools can make it easier to create and post ads at scale.

EU officials say stronger rules are needed. “We do need safeguards,” Mr McGrath said. “We have recently proposed new amendments to the act, and we aim to get the balance right. We have a good regulatory framework in place, but we need to ensure that the rulebook is enforced.”

The debate now is how to stop fake AI ads while keeping honest businesses and creators able to use ad tools. Platforms, regulators, and advertisers will need clearer checks and faster action to protect users from scams.