A rise in businesses doing their own advertising has led to more complaints to the regulator about social media ads compared with previous years.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Ad Standards received close to 5,000 complaints and investigated 252 ad cases; of them 79 breached the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) code.<\/p>\n
A series of ads for Kia’s “zombie-proof” EVs attracted the most complaints at 86, with most people concerned that the imagery was frightening to children.<\/p>\n
While the Ad Standards Community Panel decided the ads were not overly scary or graphic, one ad in the series was found in breach of the motor vehicle advertising rules due to showing a remote parking assistance feature that was likely to break road rules.<\/p>\n
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A tobacconist’s sign featuring video game characters Mario and Luigi was found in breach of the AANA code of ethics.\u00a0 (Supplied: Ad Standards)<\/p>\n
Code breaches in 2025 ranged from TikTok ads featuring racist skits to a shop sign showing Mario Brothers characters smoking cigarettes.<\/p>\n
Free-to-Air TV ads were the most complained about medium with 60 complaint cases; however, complaints for social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and other social media combined had a total of 77 cases, making up about 30 per cent of cases reviewed.<\/p>\n
Griffith University Adjunct Associate Professor Graeme Hughes said the rise in social media ad complaints was likely reflective of a growth in DIY marketing.<\/p>\n
“You’ve got business owners and small operators now able to put their voice out into the marketplace more than ever before,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Lower entry costs are leading some owners to actually get behind the wheel, so to speak, without the appropriate understanding of what goes into the space and what sort of underpins appropriate conduct.”<\/p>\n
Tap here to skip to the most complained-about ads in 2025.<\/a><\/p>\n Honey Birdette tops complaints list, again Honey Birdette had the most complaint cases in 2024 and 2025.\u00a0 (Supplied: Macarthur Square)<\/p>\n Honey Birdette’s store windows have once again frustrated Australians due to the large images of women in lingerie, often in sexualised poses, as the company tops the ad complaints case list for 2025.<\/p>\n Since the company was established in 2006, Ad Standards has reviewed more than 200 cases against the lingerie brand, 84 of which were found in breach of the code.<\/p>\n It makes Honey Birdette the second most breached advertiser, according to records available back to 1998. Wicked Campers, known for its offensive slogans on its vans, has the most breached cases at 111 (out of 145 complaints).<\/p>\n “You’re always going to have brands that are pushing the boundaries and are always going to spark controversy,” Mr Hughes said.<\/p>\n “I think that really comes back to the brand itself and what they want to be known for and stand for.<\/p>\n “Brands will always push the envelope to get eyeballs and eyeballs equals equal traction and help with their sales at the end of the day.”<\/p>\n McDonald’s followed Honey Birdette as the company with the most ad complaint cases this year.<\/p>\n A McDonald’s ad was found in breach of the AANA Children’s Advertising Code.\u00a0 (Supplied: Ad Standards)<\/p>\n An ad showing a group of teenagers eating ice cream and gossiping received multiple complaints about promoting bullying.<\/p>\n However, that wasn’t why it was found in breach; instead, it was because the ad was targeting children under 15.<\/p>\n Woolworths, Didi and Universal Pictures followed for the most complaint cases reviewed in 2025.<\/p>\n Food and beverage ads received the most complaints with 49 cases investigated and 36 breaches of the code.<\/p>\n Sex\/sexuality\/nudity was the biggest area of concern, followed by health and safety and violence.<\/p>\n Those complaints are in line with the latest community perceptions survey, which showed use of sexual appeal or nudity was the third biggest concern, following gambling and misleading or deceptive advertising.<\/p>\n Traditional media still attracting more complaints<\/p>\n While complaint cases against social media ads have risen, traditional media cases still outnumber them.<\/p>\n Mr Hughes said this was likely due to the demographics of people who see these ads and the longer linger times.<\/p>\n He added online advertising had the benefit of being more targeted than traditional media.<\/p>\n “When you’re speaking the language of that audience, it’s going to be less polarising,” he said.<\/p>\n “What people deem to be unacceptable may still fall within the acceptance range, but because it’s not a message that’s fit for them, they often will be putting in a complaint.”<\/p>\n With a growing number of advertisers and platforms available to advertise on, Mr Hughes said there could be an argument made for further tightening the code.<\/p>\n Graeme Hughes says the self-regulated code has historically worked well.\u00a0 (ABC News)<\/p>\n “What we’re finding is the code works exceptionally well when you have very traditional media, because all of the media operators of the day agreed that if something was outside of scope and it was reviewed and deemed to be unacceptable, then that would be pulled,” he said.<\/p>\n “That would be a big enough sting in someone’s budget to be more aware of practices.<\/p>\n “I think the testing point of all of this at the moment is, in this new landscape, what can be done to ensure that we still have proper oversight, but whilst not over-governance.”<\/p>\n Ad Standards enforces the self-regulated AANA code, while the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) deals with false claims in advertising and can hand out hefty fines.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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