Dubai tightens social media advertising rules for doctors, clinics and health influencers

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has introduced stricter standards governing medical advertising on social media, placing new restrictions on doctors, healthcare facilities and influencers promoting medical services and treatments online.

The Medical Advertisement Content Standards for Social Media apply to DHA-licensed health facilities and healthcare professionals advertising across platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp and LinkedIn. The rules are aimed at preventing misleading claims and ensuring patients receive accurate and balanced healthcare information.

Under the standards, healthcare advertisements cannot use exaggerated or absolute claims such as “the best”, “the only”, “the safest”, “magic”, “miracle”, “guaranteed success”, “100%”, “no side effects” or “immediate results”. Advertisers are also prohibited from suggesting that a doctor has an exclusive skill or that a particular treatment is guaranteed to work.

Healthcare advertising cannot create unrealistic expectations about treatment outcomes or encourage unnecessary or excessive use of medical services. The DHA has also prohibited fear-based marketing that attempts to make people anxious about their health to drive demand for a treatment or procedure.

The standards further restrict claims that a healthcare professional or facility is superior to competitors. Negative or unfounded statements targeting other doctors, healthcare facilities or government entities are also prohibited.

Doctors and healthcare facilities must use professional titles that match their DHA licences. Titles such as “Cosmetic Specialist”, “Aesthetic Consultant”, “Cosmetologist”, “Anti-Ageing Specialist” and “Beauty Expert” cannot be used unless they are officially recognised under the applicable licensing requirements.

The use of the prefix “Dr” is restricted to physicians, dentists and professionals holding a recognised PhD, with PhD certificates required to be attested by the UAE Ministry of Education.

The rules also extend to influencers and administrative employees promoting healthcare services. Content that identifies a healthcare facility must receive approval from the facility’s medical director before publication. 

Facilities are responsible for promotional visual content filmed on their premises, including material recorded on personal devices and published through individual accounts.

Patient privacy is another key requirement. Written consent is mandatory before a patient’s photograph, video or statement can be used in medical advertising, while separate parental consent is required for patients under 18. Consent must specify the purpose and period of use.

Before-and-after images are subject to additional requirements. The photographs must feature the same person, use the same lens and remain unedited, while carrying a disclaimer that treatment outcomes can vary between individuals.

The DHA has also prohibited promotional filming or livestreaming inside operating theatres or procedure rooms while patients are undergoing surgery or are under general anaesthesia.

Medical directors are responsible for ensuring staff understand the requirements and potential penalties for violations. They must also oversee social media moderation, staff training and the archiving of posts for potential DHA audits.

The new standards form part of Dubai’s broader effort to strengthen trust in healthcare information and protect patients from unsafe, unethical or misleading medical advertising as social media becomes an increasingly important channel for healthcare promotion.