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Kick Advertising Guidelines

Introduction

Kick is committed to providing a platform where creators can thrive while ensuring a safe and trustworthy environment for advertisers. Advertisers are responsible for ensuring their ads comply with these Advertising Guidelines, Kick’s Community Guidelines, and all applicable laws and regulations. Kick reserves the right to reject or remove any ad that negatively affects its community or arrangements with third parties, at its sole and absolute discretion.

For the purposes of these Advertising Guidelines, “ad” includes all paid promotional content, including video, display, and branded integrations.


General Requirements

  • Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Ads must comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the intended target region and otherwise.
  • Community Guidelines: Ads must be in compliance with Kick’s Community Guidelines.
  • Honesty & Transparency: Ads must not be false, misleading, or deceptive. The advertiser or the entity paying for the ad must be clearly identified in all ads.
    • Environmental & Sustainability Claims: Ads must not make broad, vague, or unqualified environmental claims. All sustainability claims must be supported by independent, verifiable evidence and disclose any material limitations (e.g., if a product is only "recyclable" in specific jurisdictions).
    • User Interactions: Ads must not use deceptive design elements that impair user autonomy or distort decision-making. This includes "False Urgency" (misleading countdowns), "Interface Interference" (hiding the 'X' or 'Close' button), or "Symmetry Violations" where the 'Accept' option is significantly more prominent than the 'Reject' option.
  • Likeness & Personality Rights: Ads must not use the name, voice, image, likeness, or unique persona of any Kick creator, celebrity, or private individual without their express written consent.
  • Digital Twins: The use of AI-generated "digital twins," voice clones, or deepfakes to simulate an endorsement by a creator or public figure is strictly prohibited, regardless of whether a disclosure label is present, unless a valid licensing agreement is in place with the relevant rights holder.
  • Synthetic & AI-Generated Media: Advertisers must disclose when an ad contains "Synthetic Media" (including deepfakes, AI-generated voices, or realistic AI-generated imagery) that depicts a real person saying or doing something they did not do, or depicts a realistic event that did not occur.
  • Labeling: Such ads must include a clear, prominent, and persistent label (e.g., “Synthetically Generated” or “AI-Enhanced”) for the duration of the ad.
  • Exemptions: Disclosure is generally not required for minor “assistive” AI use, such as color correction, background blurring, or clearly stylized/fantastical animation that would not be mistaken for reality by a reasonable consumer.
  • Privacy: Ads must comply with Privacy-by-Design principles (ensuring data protection is integrated into the ad technology by default). Collection of Personally Identifiable Information or Personal Data (as defined by applicable privacy law) requires prior express consent. Ads must not contain 'fingerprinting' scripts or unauthorized tracking technologies that attempt to identify users across other platforms or devices without Kick’s prior written authorization. The collection of Special Category Data (as defined under GDPR or equivalents under relevant local laws) is strictly prohibited.
  • Non-Discrimination: Ads must not discriminate against, or disparage, individuals or groups based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics.


Public Interest & Safety Standards

  • Human Dignity & Fundamental Rights: Ads must respect human dignity and must not include or promote any form of discrimination or content that is derogatory or demeaning to individuals or groups.
  • Health & Public Safety: Ads must not encourage or portray behavior that is prejudicial to health or safety. This includes, but is not limited to, the promotion of dangerous activities, the omission of necessary safety equipment in depictions of hazardous tasks, or the encouragement of self-harm or eating disorders.
  • Environmental Integrity: In addition to ensuring sustainability claims are substantiated, ads must not encourage behavior that is grossly prejudicial to the protection of the environment or promotes the unnecessary destruction of natural resources.


Prohibited Content

Ads containing or promoting the following are strictly prohibited on Kick:

  • Illegal Products or Services: Facilitating or promoting illegal acts, illegal recreational drugs, psychoactive substances, or contraband.
  • Dangerous Products: Weapons, explosives, or instructions on how to create them.
  • Tobacco Products: The promotion of cigarettes, tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes (including vapes and refill containers) is strictly prohibited. Ads for other products must not depict the act of smoking or vaping or present such behavior as glamorous or socially desirable.
  • Hate Speech & Harassment: Content that incites hatred, promotes violence, bullying, or shaming individuals.
  • Graphic Violence: Real-world footage of death, dismemberment, torture, or cruelty to animals.
  • Deceptive Practices: Scams, “get rich quick” schemes, pyramid schemes, payday loans, phishing, or misleading free offers.
  • Medicinal Products & Treatments: Ads for prescription-only medicinal products or treatments are strictly prohibited. Ads for over-the-counter medicines and health supplements must include all required legal disclaimers, must not make unsubstantiated health claims, and must not encourage the irresponsible or excessive use of the product.
  • Weight-Loss & Appetite Suppressants: Ads promoting prescription-only medicines or “weight-loss jabs” (e.g. GLP-1 agonists) and products marketed primarily as appetite suppressants or those that promise rapid, unrealistic weight loss (e.g., "miracle" pills) and prohibited. Ads including content that reinforces unhealthy "thin ideals," promotes disordered eating, or uses "before and after" imagery to imply guaranteed or typical results are prohibited.
  • Unsubstantiated Mental Health Claims: Ads must not promote products or treatments as "cures" or "preventatives" for serious mental health conditions (including depression, anxiety, or addiction) unless they are substantiated by credible, clinical evidence.
  • Targeting Minors: Content that causes physical, mental or moral detriment to minors. This includes by extorting minors to purchase a product or hire a service, exploiting the trust minors place in parents, teachers and other persons, and showing minors in dangerous situations or engaging in age-inappropriate activities.
  • Subscription Transparency: Ads promoting products or services with recurring charges (subscriptions) must clearly and conspicuously disclose the full cost, the billing frequency, and the fact that the charges will continue unless the user cancels. Advertisers must provide a "click-to-cancel" or equivalent mechanism that is as easy to use as the initial sign-up process, in accordance with applicable consumer protection laws.
  • Malware & Unsafe Software: Links to websites containing malware or software, including those that change device settings without a user’s consent.
  • Counterfeit Goods: Products mimicking trademarked goods.


Restricted Content

Certain categories of ads are permitted on Kick only under strict conditions, including age-gating (18+), and with prior written approval from Kick.

  • Alcohol
    • Ads must only target individuals above the minimum drinking age in the applicable jurisdiction in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. 
    • Ads must not be displayed in jurisdictions where sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited under applicable laws and regulations.
    • Ads must include “Drink Responsibly” or equivalent messaging, as required under applicable laws and regulations.
    • Ads must not imply alcohol improves social or sexual success, target minors or vulnerable populations, or depict excessive consumption.
  • Gambling & Real-Money Gaming
    • Advertisers must hold a valid gambling license in the target jurisdiction, and must only serve ads in the permitted jurisdictions in accordance with the requirements of such gambling license and applicable laws and regulations.
    • Ads must not target minors, problematic gamblers, or self-excluded individuals. 
    • Ads must include all mandatory legal disclaimers and Responsible Gambling (RG) disclosures, as required by the relevant gambling license and applicable laws and regulations.
    • Ads relating to “social casino” games must include a disclaimer to the effect that “success in social gaming does not imply future success in real-money gambling” and must not feature “payout” or “big win” imagery that mimics real-money mechanics. 
  • Loot Boxes, Gacha, and Simulated Gambling
    • Ads for games featuring "loot boxes," "gacha" mechanics, "simulated gambling," or other randomized reward systems are strictly prohibited except in jurisdictions where such mechanics are explicitly permitted under local laws and regulations.
    • Advertisers must ensure ads are only served in permitted markets and comply with all regional requirements, including mandatory minimum age classifications, prominent display of “drop rates” or odds of winning for each virtual item as required by law, and clear on-asset labeling indicating the presence of in-game purchases and chance-based mechanics.
    • Simulated gambling and loot box rewards must not be redeemable for real-world currency or tradeable for value on secondary markets unless the advertiser holds a full, valid gambling license in that jurisdiction.
    • Video game ads must clearly distinguish between cinematic footage and actual gameplay and must not feature gambling-like imagery to target minors.
  • Adult Content & Dating
    • Ads must not include or promote any of the following: 
      • Sexual Services: Prostitution, escort services, or any "sex-for-compensation" arrangements.
      • Sexually Explicit Content: Pornography, graphic nudity, depictions of sexual acts (including masturbation), or “XXX” live chat offers; and
      • Illegal Adult Content: Content depicting minors, non-consensual sexual acts, or illegal fetishes.
    • Ads including or promoting the following are permitted only with strict age-gating, prior written approval from Kick, and compliance with local laws:
      • Sex Toys & Adult Products: Ads for adult sexual wellness products (e.g., vibrators, lubricants) are permitted provided the creative asset is "non-explicit" and focuses on health or wellness benefits rather than sexual gratification.
      • Adult-Oriented Subscriptions: Ads for adult subscription sites (e.g., premium fan platforms) must be neutral in creative messaging, avoid graphic thumbnails or "above the fold" nudity, and ensure the landing page contains a verified age-gate.
      • Dating Services: Ads for mainstream or adult dating apps are permitted but must not promote "hookup" services through sexually provocative imagery or explicit text promises.
      • Sexual Health: Non-explicit sexual health products (e.g., condoms, contraceptives, or ED medication) are permitted provided they include required legal disclaimers and neutral, non-arousing imagery.
  • Financial Services & Crypto
    • Ads relating to financial or cryptocurrency services must include required risk warnings, and must comply with financial regulations and any other applicable laws and regulations.
    • Ads promoting the following are strictly prohibited:
      • Speculative & High-Risk Assets: Such as payday loans, binary options, complex cryptocurrency schemes, "meme-coins," "meme-stocks," or any digital assets that lack established track records or tangible utility and rely primarily on social media narrative for value.
      • initial coin offerings (ICOs): Including any pre-sales, public offerings, initial DEX offerings (IDOs), or token liquidity pools.
      • Market Manipulation: Including any content facilitating or promoting "pump and dump" schemes, "rug pulls," or other manipulative market practices designed to artificially inflate the price of a digital asset.
      • Unlicensed Advice: Including content containing cryptocurrency trading signals, investment advice, or aggregators and affiliate sites that compare or review unregulated cryptocurrency issuers.
  • Political & Advocacy
    • Political ads must clearly disclose the relevant financial donor to such ads, and any other disclosures as required by applicable laws and regulations, and are subject to prior verification. Political ads are subject to “Blackout Periods” in accordance with local election cycles, during which new creative assets may not be uploaded or modified. 


Ad Suitability & Content Classification

To protect advertisers, certain ads will be served dynamically based on the video content being streamed. Kick provides industry-standard brand suitability controls (aligned with the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) Framework). Advertisers may apply exclusion lists (keyword or category blocking) or inventory filters based on the following video content classifications:

  • Mature Gaming: Video content including gameplay featuring intense violence, gore, or that are rated for mature audiences in accordance with applicable content rating classifications.
  • Sexual Themes: Video content focusing on sexually suggestive themes, swimwear, or are otherwise categorised under the “ASMR” or “Pools, Hot Tubs & Bikinis” categories, even if such content is in compliance with Kick’s Community Guidelines.
  • Profanity: Video content featuring frequent or heavy use of strong profanity.
  • Gambling: Video content featuring slots, poker, or casino games, or are otherwise categorised under livestream categories dedicated to gambling content.
  • Drugs & Intoxication: Video content featuring discussions or depictions of alcohol or substance use, where permitted under applicable laws and regulations.
  • Political Discussion: Video content focused on inflammatory or sensitive social or political issues.


Creative & Technical Standards

  • Quality: All assets in respect of ads must follow Kick’s ad specifications as made available to advertisers from time to time.
  • Disruption: Ads must not contain any flashing or strobing effects, loud jarring noises, or fake interface elements (e.g., fake “close” buttons).
  • Relevance: Ads must refer or link to a website that is directly relevant to the product or service advertised in the ad.


Branded Integrations & Influencer Marketing

Kick is a creator-led platform, and we recognize that many “ads” occur as direct collaborations between brands and creators. To maintain platform integrity:

  • Creator Responsibility: Creators must use Kick’s “Branded Content” disclosure tool whenever there is a “Material Connection” between the creator and the advertiser (e.g., payment, free products, or affiliate commissions), and must comply with all local legal and regulatory requirements.
  • Clear & Conspicuous Disclosure: For live-streamed integrations, disclosures must be:
  • Visual: A persistent on-screen overlay (e.g., “#Ad” or “Sponsored”) during the segment.
  • Verbal: Disclosed audibly at the beginning of the integration and, for long-form streams, repeated periodically.
  • Unambiguous: Plain language must be used (e.g., “Paid Promotion”). Avoid vague terms like “Partner” or “Collab” unless accompanied by a clear disclosure.
  • Advertiser Monitoring: Advertisers are responsible for monitoring their partnered creators to ensure these disclosures are active and meet local legal standards.


Enforcement

  • Review Process: All ads are subject to automated and human review before, during, and after deployment.
  • Violation: Ads that violate these Advertising Guidelines, Kick’s Community Guidelines or Kick’s Terms of Service may be subject to rejection, or result in suspension or termination of the advertiser’s account.
  • Remedies: Kick reserves the right to pursue all legal and equitable remedies available to it against the relevant advertiser to the extent that the advertiser’s ad violates these Advertising Guidelines, Kick’s Community Guidelines, or Kick’s Terms of Service.
  • Reporting: Users of the Kick platform may report ads that violate these Advertising Guidelines, Kick’s Community Guidelines or Kick’s Terms of Service via the reporting functionality built into the relevant ad or by contacting [email protected].