To the Meta Oversight Board:

We are a coalition of medical practitioners, lactation professionals, and birthworkers urging Meta to prohibit the monetization of infant formula content across its platforms. Specifically, we call for the restriction of branded content, paid partnerships, and influencer marketing that promotes breastmilk substitutes (BMS), including any content containing misinformation or claims that falsely equate formula with breastmilk.

Formula Misinformation as a Public Health Risk
Across Meta platforms, formula advertisers and influencers frequently disseminate content that contains unsafe feeding advice, improper preparation instructions, and misleading health claims. These narratives often frame formula as equivalent to or superior to breastmilk—an assertion not supported by clinical evidence. Such content exploits the anxieties of new parents and undermines evidence-based feeding practices.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that BMS marketing is “one of the most underappreciated risks to infant and young child health,” warning that it “undermines breastfeeding and informed choice” [WHO, 2022]. Aggressive formula marketing is directly linked to early cessation of breastfeeding, loss of milk supply, and increased infant morbidity, including a higher risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants.

Meta’s Human Rights Obligations—Especially to Children
Meta has publicly committed to upholding the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which obligate companies to avoid contributing to human rights harms and mitigate risks to vulnerable populations. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), this responsibility is heightened in matters affecting infants and young children, particularly in relation to their right to the highest attainable standard of health (Article 24).

As the Oversight Board noted in the Fruit Juice Diet Case, Meta must consider how monetization policies can disproportionately affect vulnerable users—including children—when they amplify health misinformation. Paid influencers often use persuasive, personal storytelling formats that obscure commercial intent while increasing trust and engagement. The result is an ecosystem where dangerous narratives can thrive under the guise of peer advice, fueled by financial incentives and algorithmic reach.

A Public Health Emergency Standard
In its COVID-19 Misinformation Policy Advisory Opinion, the Oversight Board found that Meta was right to remove false health content when it “was likely to directly contribute to the risk of imminent and significant physical harm” and global authorities had declared a public health emergency. The same reasoning applies here.

The WHO continues to treat aggressive BMS marketing as a global health threat. As long as this remains the case, Meta should treat monetized BMS misinformation with the same level of seriousness it applied to COVID-related content.

A Clear Precedent: The Vaping Ban
Meta has already applied these principles in comparable contexts. Since before 2019, Meta has prohibited ads for tobacco and vaping products. On December 18, 2019, this policy was extended to influencer “branded content” involving vaping [Meta Newsroom, 2019]. The most recent update on June 26, 2024, reaffirmed a total ban on monetization of vape-related content [Meta Ad Standards, 2024].

Like vaping, BMS marketing targets youth and vulnerable consumers using peer-like influencer messaging. It also promotes a product with known health risks when misused or misunderstood. The failure to apply a similar standard to infant formula content—despite the well-documented risks—represents an inconsistency in Meta’s approach to health misinformation and monetized influence.

Policy Recommendation
We urge Meta to take the following steps:

• Add BMS-related content to the list of restricted categories under the Content Monetization Policies;
• Prohibit monetization of branded content, affiliate marketing, and paid partnerships promoting infant formula;
• Ensure proper enforcement and labeling under the Branded Content Policy;
• Align policies with WHO guidance, the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (1981), the UNGPs, and the UNCRC.

Restricting monetization does not limit parental expression or discussion. It simply ensures that Meta does not amplify or profit from content that contributes to health misinformation and undermines child and maternal well-being.

This is not just a matter of platform policy. It is a matter of global public health, child rights, and corporate accountability.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned