Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with a bipartisan group of 35 attorneys general, has urged Meta to strengthen enforcement of its policies regarding pharmaceutical and wellness advertisements on Instagram and Facebook. The coalition is particularly concerned about the spread of AI-generated ads promoting weight loss drugs, especially during the holiday season when interest in such products typically rises.
GLP-1 weight loss medications have seen increased popularity recently, leading to a surge in advertisements for these drugs. Many of these ads promote non-FDA approved or compounded versions directly to consumers through Meta’s platforms.
“Millions of Americans are looking for help losing weight, and they deserve to know the potential risks and side effects associated with any medications they are considering,” Raoul said. “Some advertisers are attempting to prey on insecurity around weight, often using A.I.-generated images to portray fake weight loss results. These ads are failing to protect the health and safety of consumers. I’m calling on Meta to enforce its own policies and remove these irresponsible, misleading and, at times, dangerous advertisements for GLP-1 weight loss drugs from its social media platforms.”
The letter from Raoul and his colleagues points out that while Meta has existing guidelines for pharmaceutical and health-related advertising—such as requiring information about drug effectiveness and affordability, targeting only adults, and avoiding promotion of unhealthy body images—the company is not adequately enforcing them.
The attorneys general highlight that many ads exploit users’ dissatisfaction with their bodies by associating weight loss with self-confidence or social success rather than health benefits. Techniques used include close-up body shots, before-and-after comparisons, and promises of rapid results without disclosing possible risks or side effects.
AI-generated content is commonly used in these ads without proper labeling. Some examples include fabricated before-and-after images showing extreme transformations within short periods or fake endorsements by AI-created personas such as law enforcement officers or healthcare professionals.
The coalition is asking Meta to take several steps: restrict prescription drug ads in the U.S. only to FDA-approved products; require clear disclosure of risks for all weight loss product promotions; prohibit use of AI-generated content in such advertising; improve labeling and detection tools for AI content; and direct users searching for weight loss products toward educational resources.
Other signatories include attorneys general from North Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York , North Dakota , Oklahoma , Oregon , Rhode Island , South Carolina , South Dakota , Utah , Vermont , and Washington.
