Alcohol content

You can view available translations of this article by selecting a language in the upper-right corner of this page. Translations are provided as a convenience, and are not meant to change the content of our policies. The English version will control and should be your reference in case of conflict between a translation and the English version.

What's the policy?

Twitter restricts the promotion of online and offline sale of alcohol and general awareness of alcohol brands. These restrictions are based on the specific product or service being promoted, as well as the country that the campaign is targeting.

To determine the policy for your product or service and the country or countries you wish to target, see the country-specific information below. Unless listed below, the promotion of alcohol content is prohibited.

Any advertisement for alcohol content that is allowed under the country-specific information below must in addition:

• not target minors or encourage, suggest, or entice underage drinking
• not use characters, sports-persons, celebrities, or images/icons appealing to minors
• not use minors or pregnant women as models in advertising
• not imply that drinking in excess is good, or that alcohol has therapeutic, relaxing or stimulative properties
• not imply that alcohol has health benefits, can improve sexual, social, athletic or professional performance or standing
• not mislead or confuse users into thinking alcoholic beverages are soft drinks or candy
• not associate drinking with activities that are potentially dangerous, require significant care, skill, etc. (e.g., driving a motor vehicle), or are antisocial or illegal (e.g., illegal drugs)
• not depict people under the influence of alcohol
• not emphasize a product’s alcoholic strength (promoting a product as having low or no alcohol content is acceptable)

What products or services are subject to this policy?

This policy applies, but is not limited, to:

• Promoting, selling or facilitating the online or offline sale of any kind of alcoholic beverage, whether beer, wine, or spirits
• Branding for any kind of alcoholic beverage, whether beer, wine, or spirits
• Competitions with alcohol as a prize

What products or services are not subject to this policy?

This policy generally does not apply to:

• Alcohol accessories such as bottle openers, shot glasses and cocktail shakers
• Breweries, wineries and distillery branding, tours and tastings
• Recipes for alcohol, cocktail recipes, or alcohol-based food recipes
• Home brewing kits
• Onsite-instruction classes
• News and information about alcohol products
• Events sponsored by an alcohol company where there is no focus on or promotion of alcoholic beverages

What is age screening? 

Some advertisers age screen their followers. Age screening is a way for brands and others to determine online whether a follower meets a minimum age requirement, in a way that is consistent with relevant industry or legal guidelines. One such option is available as a third party app by Salesforce Marketing Cloud, developed in partnership with Twitter, that allows for age screening through Twitter Direct Messages. 

If you are interested in learning more about this feature, please use the 'Help' button in your ads dashboard to contact our support team. If you're a managed client, please contact your account manager.

Branding and Online Sale of Alcohol 

Branding and online sales ads are allowed when targeting the countries below. Online sales, however, are not allowed in asterisked countries.

Please check country-specific policies for further information.

The following additional requirements apply to alcohol advertisements targeting certain countries:

Bulgaria

• The promotion of beverages containing more than 15% alcohol by volume is prohibited.

Croatia

• Branding ads for alcoholic beverages above 22% are prohibited.
• Ads for sporting events sponsored by alcohol brands are prohibited.

Ecuador

Alcohol ads targeted to Ecuador must also comply with the following requirements:

• Do not associate alcohol with the consumption of processed foods.
• Do not associate alcohol with awards from sweepstakes, contests or collectibles.
• Do not use images of women as sex symbols.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brunei, Egypt, Eritrea, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen

• All alcohol advertising is prohibited in these countries. This includes branding, online and offline sale, as well as any promotion of the consumption of alcoholic beverages, including events sponsored by alcohol brands.

Finland

• Branding ads for alcoholic beverages above 22% are prohibited.

India, Indonesia

• Alcohol branding, online and offline sale, as well as the promotion of the consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited.
• Promotion of events sponsored by alcohol brands is allowed.

Macedonia

• The promotion of branding and offline sale of spirits and hard liquors is prohibited.

New Zealand

Alcohol ads targeted to New Zealand must also comply with the following requirements:

• Do not prominently use or depict persons under the age of 25 years old.
• Do not depict unduly masculine or sexually provocative themes.
• Do not offer motor vehicles or boats as prizes in competitions.

Poland

• Only beer brands may promoted sponsored events.

Russia

• Advertisements targeting Russia must be in the Russian language. Alcohol advertisers are not permitted to promote non-alcoholic beverages under an identical or confusingly similar brand/trademark/service mark as alcoholic beverages.

Serbia

• Branding ads for alcoholic beverages above 20% are prohibited.

Slovenia

• The promotion of branding and offline beverages containing more than 15% alcohol by volume is prohibited.
• Sponsored sports and youth events campaigns by advertisers of beer, wine and spirits below 15% are prohibited.
• Advertisements targeting Slovenia must be in the Slovenian language and include the following statement: “Minister za zdravje opozarja: Uživanje alkohola lahko škoduje zdravju!“ ali “Minister za zdravje opozarja: Prekomerno pitje alkohola škoduje zdravju!“ (Meaning: “Health Minister’s warning: Alcohol consumption can harm your health" or “Health Minister’s warning: Excessive alcohol consumption causes health problems").  This warning message must represent at least 10% of the total ad space.

Spain

• Ads for spirits must include the following statement: “Disfruta de un consumo responsable".
• Ads for wine must include the following statement: “El vino sólo se disfruta con moderación”.

Thailand

• Promotion of alcohol branding is permitted with restrictions.
• Contact Twitter if you are interested in this option.

UK and jurisdictions

• Advertisers must be aware that their ads should comply with the Portman Code and the relevant provisions of the CAP Code. This applies to the UK and jurisdictions (Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey).

U.S.

• The online sale of alcohol is permitted in the U.S.
  • Advertisers must conduct appropriate age gating.

What do advertisers need to know about this policy?

Review our guidelines and make sure you understand the requirements for your brand and business. You are responsible for all your promoted content on Twitter. This includes complying with applicable laws and regulations regarding online advertisements.

What other Twitter resources relate to this policy?

• About Age Screening on Twitter
• Guidelines for Contests on Twitter

Have questions or feedback about something on this page?

If you are an advertiser whose account or Tweets are under review and you would like to check on the status or request an expedited review, please log in to ads.twitter.com and file a support ticket using the Help? button in the top right corner of your ads dashboard.

Learn more about blocking or dismissing ads by reading this article on “Reporting Twitter Ads”. To report an ad that is potentially violating these policies, use the Report an Ad form.

Using Twitter Ads Policy, the Twitter Rules and our Terms of Service, we will examine reported violations and take appropriate action.

If you are interested in advertising on Twitter and want to learn more, please visit business.twitter.com.