Clinics and medical practices / Nextdoor
5 Nextdoor policy rules bear on clinics and medical practices
5 rules come from Nextdoor policy and match the wording clinics and medical practices use. None of them is exclusive to Nextdoor. The rest are shared with the policies of Amazon Ads, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Pinterest. None of them block approval; all 5 warn. Of the 11 platforms with a page for this industry, it has the 8th most rules.
What Nextdoor policy adds
Platform rules are about ad approval and account risk, not law, and policies change. These are the Nextdoor rules whose wording is about licensed practitioners, boards and clinics. They run when Nextdoor is selected in the checker.
CG-PLT-001 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Meta bars ads that assert or imply the viewer's physical or mental health, including medical conditions, for example "Do you have diabetes?". Nextdoor, X, Amazon and Taboola bar the same move (asserting knowledge of a viewer's health, speaking directly to the customer about a condition or weight). This is platform policy, not law, and an ad can be rejected or an account restricted.
Source: Meta Advertising Standards, Personal attributes; Nextdoor Ads Policy (advertisement targeting, personal attributes); X Ads targeting of sensitive categories policy; Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies; Taboola Health Supplement Advertising Guidelines
Safer wording: Address the topic, not the viewer. Say "Depression affects many adults. Talk to a clinician." instead of "Are you struggling with depression?".
Meta Advertising Standards, Personal attributes, X Ads targeting of sensitive categories policy, Amazon Ads sponsored ads policies, Taboola Health Supplement Advertising Guidelines, Nextdoor Ads Policy
CG-PLT-008 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Pinterest does not allow ads for clinical trial recruitment. Google does not allow them in most locations. Microsoft Advertising and Amazon Ads list clinical trials and trial recruitment as prohibited. X, Nextdoor and Reddit allow them only with conditions (X prior authorization, no misleading expectations or claims of safety, registration on ClinicalTrials.gov and IRB oversight).
Source: Pinterest Advertising Guidelines (healthcare products and services); Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy (clinical trial recruitment); Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy; X Ads healthcare policy; Nextdoor Ads Policy; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy
Safer wording: Send people to the registry listing or the sponsor site instead of buying a platform ad, or check the platform and location rules and any IRB approval first.
Nextdoor Ads Policy, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, Pinterest Advertising Guidelines, X Ads healthcare policy
CG-PLT-011 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
A named prescription drug in an ad triggers advance approval on most platforms. Pinterest allows prescription drug ads only with prior permission and GLP-1 ads only from approved healthcare advertisers in the US and Canada, Snap requires prescription advertisers to be pre-approved, and TikTok requires proof of regulator approval and 18+ targeting in the US. Meta requires LegitScript certification or its own review, Meta authorization, a licensed-professional disclaimer and 18+ targeting in the US, Canada or New Zealand. LinkedIn requires prior authorization, US or Canada only, no under-18 targeting. Reddit, X, Microsoft, Amazon and Nextdoor require pre-approval, a sales representative or case-by-case review, and Yahoo accepts FDA-approved prescription drug ads in the US only.
Source: Pinterest Advertising Guidelines (healthcare products and services, weight loss products and services); Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health (prescription medicines); TikTok Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals ad policy (United States, prescription medicine); Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals; LinkedIn Advertising Policies; X Ads healthcare policy; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy; Nextdoor Ads Policy; Yahoo Ad Policy, Prescription drugs; Spotify Advertising Policies
Safer wording: Get the platform's written approval first, then run the ad only on the platform that approved it, with the approved audience and age limits. Otherwise advertise the clinical service without naming the drug.
Meta Advertising Standards, Drugs and pharmaceuticals, Nextdoor Ads Policy, Yahoo Ad Policy, Prescription drugs, Spotify Advertising Policies, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Healthcare products and services policy, TikTok Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals ad policy, Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health, Pinterest Advertising Guidelines, LinkedIn Advertising Policies, X Ads healthcare policy
CG-PLT-013 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Pinterest does not allow claims regarding the prevention or cure of disease, and Google does not allow non-approved products marketed as safe or effective for preventing, curing or treating a particular disease. Meta bars claims to cure, heal or eliminate incurable diseases (diabetes, herpes, thyroid conditions, psoriasis, cancer, autism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, HIV and others), even from health professionals. Reddit, Amazon, Outbrain, Nextdoor, Apple and Taboola bar implying that a product or supplement diagnoses, prevents or cures disease.
Source: Pinterest Advertising Guidelines (healthcare products and services); Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy (unapproved substances); Meta Advertising Standards, Unrealistic outcomes; Meta Advertising Standards, Health and wellness; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy; Outbrain Advertising Guidelines; Nextdoor Ads Policy; Apple Advertising Services policies; Taboola Health Supplement Advertising Guidelines
Safer wording: Say what the service does ("screening", "education", "treatment plans reviewed by a clinician") and leave out prevent, cure and reverse.
Meta Advertising Standards, Unrealistic outcomes, Meta Advertising Standards, Health and wellness, Taboola Health Supplement Advertising Guidelines, Outbrain Advertising Guidelines, Nextdoor Ads Policy, Apple Advertising Services policies, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy, Google Ads Healthcare and medicines policy, Pinterest Advertising Guidelines
CG-PLT-016 · Warns · Citation checked against stored text
Pinterest bars before-and-after weight-loss imagery and Snap bars before-and-after pictures in diet, fitness and dietary supplement ads. Meta lists a before-and-after weight loss image as non-compliant, and Reddit, Amazon, Nextdoor and Outbrain bar before-and-after photos in weight loss, supplement or cosmetic ads. Microsoft, Taboola and Yahoo allow them only if realistic and honest about the time taken. The same wording also draws FTC attention to typical results.
Source: Pinterest Advertising Guidelines (weight loss products and services); Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health (health and dietary supplements, diet and fitness); Meta Advertising Standards, Personal health and appearance; Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy; Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy; Nextdoor Ads Policy; Outbrain Advertising Guidelines; Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy; Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty; Yahoo Ad Policy, Over the counter drugs
Safer wording: Remove the before-and-after pairing and show the clinic, the clinician or the process instead.
Meta Advertising Standards, Personal health and appearance, Taboola Policy FAQ health and beauty, Outbrain Advertising Guidelines, Nextdoor Ads Policy, Yahoo Ad Policy, Over the counter drugs, Microsoft Advertising Healthcare and Pharmaceutical policy, Reddit Ads Healthcare Products and Services policy, Amazon Ads Claims and substantiation policy, Snap Ads Category Requirements, Health, Pinterest Advertising Guidelines
What the checker flags with Nextdoor selected
None of our sample wording triggers a Nextdoor rule, so no example is shown. The rules above are still part of the set.
The federal rules that still apply
109 federal and general rules matched to clinics and medical practices run next to the Nextdoor ones. The ones that weigh most:
CG-ABS-003 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Claims of no risk or no side effects are unsubstantiated safety claims.
Source: FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; 21 CFR 202.1 (prescription drug advertising, fair balance)
Safer wording: State known risks and side effects fairly, or say who should talk to a clinician first.
21 CFR 202.1 · Needs counsel review
CG-CSR-001 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Prescribing a controlled substance without a real evaluation, records or follow-up violates the Controlled Substances Act and DEA telemedicine rules.
Source: 21 U.S.C. 829 and 841(h); 21 CFR 1306.04 (prescription issued for a legitimate medical purpose); 21 CFR 1306.05 (manner of issuance, so a prescription must carry the patient and practitioner details); FTC Act section 5
Safer wording: Do not advertise controlled substances. A licensed clinician must decide whether to prescribe after a real evaluation.
21 CFR 1306.04, 21 U.S.C. 829, 21 CFR 1306.05 · Needs counsel review
CG-DEA-003 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Offering to fill a prescription for a controlled substance based only on an online questionnaire is a listed example of an internet distribution violation.
Source: 21 U.S.C. 841 subsection (h) lists offering to fill a controlled substance prescription based solely on a consumer's online medical questionnaire as an example of a violation
Safer wording: Do not tie a controlled substance prescription to a questionnaire alone. Describe a live evaluation by a licensed practitioner who decides if a prescription is appropriate.
21 U.S.C. 841 · Needs counsel review
CG-EFF-014 · Blocks approval · Citation checked against stored text
Claims of instant, one-visit or universal results, or of working where all else fails, promise outcomes no clinic can substantiate.
Source: FTC Act section 5; FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance; FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255
Safer wording: Remove the promise of speed or certainty. Say what the service is and that results vary.
16 CFR Part 255 · Needs counsel review
Everything for the industry is on the clinics and medical practices page, and all Nextdoor rules for any industry are on the Nextdoor page.
Next step
Check your Nextdoor clinic copy
Pick Nextdoor in the checker's ad platforms picker and every flag cites the rule and source listed above.