"A rise in businesses doing their own advertising has led to more complaints to the regulator about social media ads compared with previous years. 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. 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. While the Ad Standards Community Panel decided the ads were not overly scary or graphic,"
"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. Griffith University Adjunct Associate Professor Graeme Hughes said the rise in social media ad complaints was likely reflective of a growth in DIY marketing. "You've got business owners and small operators now able to put their voice out into the marketplace more than ever before," he said."
Ad Standards received close to 5,000 complaints in 2025 and investigated 252 ad cases, finding 79 breaches of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) code. A Kia "zombie-proof" EV campaign attracted 86 complaints, mainly over imagery that frightened children; one ad breached motor vehicle advertising rules by showing a remote parking assistance feature likely to break road rules. Code breaches included racist TikTok skits and a shop sign depicting Mario characters smoking. Free-to-air TV prompted 60 complaint cases; combined social media platforms accounted for 77 cases, about 30 percent. Experts link rising social media complaints to DIY marketing by small businesses.
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