Facebook is to restrict sales and limit content related to alcohol and tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, on its sites. A new policy, effective from 24 July, prohibits all private sales, trades, transfers and gifting of alcohol and tobacco on Facebook and Instagram. Businesses that post content related to alcohol and tobacco will reportedly have to restrict content to people aged 18 and older.
“We are updating our regulated goods policy to prohibit the sale of alcohol and tobacco products between private individuals on Facebook and Instagram,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our commerce policies already prohibit the sale of tobacco or alcohol in places like Marketplace but we’re now extending this to organic content.”
Facebook Groups created to sell alcohol and tobacco products are also subject to the new rules, and group administrators are being alerted to the changes. The new policy doesn’t apply to all Facebook and Instagram posts, however. Posts about alcohol and tobacco products that aren’t directly trying to sell them are reportedly still allowed and Influencers, who are paid to promote products, will still be allowed to post content about these products without the posts beingto be age-restricted.