TLDR
Seven in ten Australians worry about unsafe behaviour in social media ads, rising to 78% among heavy daily users, per a new Ad Standards, Roy Morgan survey of 1,032 adults. Gambling ads top the concern list at 66%, while distrust in advertising (39%) runs more than double the share who trust it (15%).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The social media gap
Among Australians who use social media several times a day, 78% say unsafe or unhealthy behaviour in advertising concerns them, seven percentage points above the 71% figure recorded across the general population.[1] The finding comes from the Ad Standards (Australia's advertising self-regulation body), Roy Morgan Community Sentiment Tracker, an online survey of 1,032 Australians aged 18 and over, conducted between 17 August and 2 September 2026.[1]
For brands whose plans lean on social video and influencers, those are the audiences paying closest attention. 87% of Australians say advertising should show safe and healthy behaviours.[1]
Only 15% of respondents said they trust advertising, against 39% who said they distrust it, a ratio of roughly 2.6 to one, while the remaining 52% reported neutral sentiment.[1] Roy Morgan chief executive Michele Levine said: "Australians increasingly expect advertising, especially on social media, to reflect responsible and healthy behaviours."[1]
Gambling advertising sat highest overall at 66%. Unsafe behaviour portrayed as fun, cool or desirable ranked next at 63%, followed by influencers showing unsafe behaviour at 61%, children's exposure at 60%, and unrealistic or unhealthy body image standards at 56%.[1]
| Concern | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Gambling advertising | 66% |
| Unsafe behaviour shown as fun or desirable | 63% |
| Influencers showing unsafe behaviour | 61% |
| Children's exposure to unsafe content | 60% |
| Unrealistic or unhealthy body image | 56% |
| AI-generated advertising | 55% |
Complaints, platform choice and AI creative
Ad Standards said it has received more than 5,000 complaints so far in 2026, with more than 90 Community Panel cases raising health and safety issues.[1] More than 60% of those health and safety cases involved ads seen on social media.[1]
Concern about AI-generated ads rose from 50% to 55% between the tracker's two most recent waves, a five-point climb that puts it above the majority threshold.[1] Agencies building generative creative into production pipelines will find that trajectory worth watching.
Ad Standards executive director Greg Wallace said: "The key message for industry is that context matters."[1] For an influencer campaign, the distinction between what a post shows and what it implicitly endorses is the line the complaint data suggests audiences are already drawing.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What did the Ad Standards, Roy Morgan survey find about social media advertising?
How does trust in advertising compare with distrust?
Why are AI-generated ads becoming a bigger issue?
James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.
