In July and August 2025, reports said TikTok had rolled out seven new rules for brands. When we re-checked this article against TikTok’s own policy pages in October 2026, some rules held up, some turned out to be older than described, and some could not be traced to any source. This version keeps what TikTok documents, dates each rule, and removes the rest.
Which TikTok rules apply to brands in Southeast Asia?
Six areas matter most for brands running creator campaigns in the region. The table shows what TikTok itself says, with the date shown on each source.
| Area | What TikTok documents | Date on source |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsored-post disclosure | Turn on the commercial content disclosure setting; undisclosed content may lose For You feed eligibility | Help page updated April 2026 |
| AI-generated content | Label realistic-looking AI scenes or people | Policy introduced 2023 |
| Commercial music | Businesses use the Commercial Music Library; no Sounds or Commercial Sounds in LIVE | Help page updated July 2025 |
| Gambling branded content | Not allowed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand; 18+ only in the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam | Policy effective 31 August 2026 |
| Ads to under-18s | Targeting and delivery limits in Indonesia and other listed locations | Help page updated October 2026 |
| Hashtags | Five per post, reported but not announced by TikTok | Reported 20 August 2025 |
Source: TikTok Branded Content Policy, TikTok for Business help pages and Net Influencer.
Does TikTok require sponsored posts to be disclosed?
Yes. TikTok’s Branded Content Policy defines branded content as content that promotes a third-party brand in exchange for payment or any other incentive, including gifted products and affiliate commissions. Creators must turn on the commercial content disclosure toggle, and TikTok then labels the post automatically.
TikTok’s help page on the disclosure setting says it flags a video as commercial based on financial incentives, brand mentions and product recommendations. It also says undisclosed commercial content may not be eligible for the For You feed and will affect organic performance. The same page cites an internal study of nearly 2 million videos, labelled “Tested in ID and PK”, that found no performance difference between videos with and without proper disclosure.
The original version of this article said creators need “#ad or #sponsored” tags. TikTok’s pages name the disclosure toggle and do not mention hashtags, so that wording was corrected.
Key finding: TikTok’s help page says undisclosed commercial content may lose For You feed eligibility, while its own study of nearly 2 million videos found no performance difference when disclosure was turned on. For brands, the toggle costs little and the downside of skipping it is lost distribution.
What does TikTok require for AI-generated content?
TikTok requires creators to label AI-generated content that shows realistic-looking scenes or people, and has done so since 2023. TikTok announced its AI-generated content label on 19 September 2023 and described a synthetic media policy introduced earlier that year, covering realistic images, audio or video. This article first dated the rule to July 2025, which was wrong.
The full TikTok rule, including its ban on AI content that falsely shows public figures endorsing something and its November 2025 labelling update, sits next to Meta’s and YouTube’s rules in AI content labelling rules on Meta, YouTube and TikTok.
Key finding: TikTok has required labels on realistic-looking AI content since 2023. Brands using virtual influencers or AI-edited footage in Southeast Asia should assume the label applies to their branded content, and should never use AI to show a real person endorsing a product.
Which music can brands use on TikTok?
Brands must use TikTok’s Commercial Music Library for commercial content. TikTok’s help page on the library (updated July 2025) says it holds 1 million pre-cleared songs, that businesses cannot use the general music library commercially, and that the Commercial Music Library covers organic content, video ads and branded content.
LIVE works differently. TikTok’s Music Terms (effective January 2026; the EEA version effective July 2025 says the same) state that you cannot use Sounds or Commercial Sounds in a live stream, and that any other music needs rights you hold yourself.
The original article said LIVE was limited to TikTok’s music library and that video music was capped at 60 seconds. The music terms say the opposite about LIVE, and no 60-second cap appears in TikTok’s documents, so both claims were removed.
Is there a five-hashtag limit on TikTok?
It was reported in August 2025, but TikTok did not announce it. Net Influencer reported on 20 August 2025, citing Social Media Today, that TikTok had added a five-hashtag limit and that users were seeing in-app notices. The report says TikTok had not released an official statement and had not confirmed whether the limit applied to all users.
The original article presented this as official policy and said irrelevant hashtags trigger algorithm penalties. We found no TikTok source for the penalties, so that claim was removed. The practical advice still stands: use at most five hashtags, and make each one relevant to the video.
How do gambling and under-18 ad rules differ by market?
Rules vary by country. TikTok’s Branded Content Policy sorts gambling, lotteries and real money games by market:
| Market | Gambling branded content |
|---|---|
| Indonesia | Not allowed |
| Malaysia | Not allowed |
| Thailand | Not allowed |
| Philippines | Allowed for users over 18, in the market where it was posted |
| Singapore | Allowed for users over 18, in the market where it was posted |
| Vietnam | Allowed for users over 18, in the market where it was posted |
Source: TikTok Branded Content Policy, effective 31 August 2026.
The original article described a complete gambling ad ban in the Philippines. TikTok’s policy restricts it to adults instead, so that claim was corrected.
For teen audiences, TikTok’s page on advertising to people under 18 (updated October 2026) lists Indonesia among the locations with targeting and delivery limits. In those locations, Lead Generation and Sales - TikTok Shop objectives are not available when reaching under-18s, and detailed targeting such as gender and interests is not applied. TikTok also says no ads are delivered to audiences under 14 in Indonesia. The original article’s claim about a default recommendation opt-out for minors had no source and was removed.
Key finding: TikTok’s branded content rules change from one market to the next. Gambling content is barred in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand but limited to adults in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, so one regional brief cannot cover every market.
Why does Southeast Asia matter to TikTok?
According to the We Are Social and Meltwater Digital 2025: July Statshot, as reported by LBB, Southeast Asia holds nearly one-quarter of TikTok’s global advertising audience, and Thailand has the second-highest share of monthly TikTok users worldwide, at more than eight in ten. The same report found that internet users in the Philippines watch more than 20 hours of online video a week, and that 43.5% follow influencers.
The original article called the one-quarter figure a share of TikTok’s global ad revenue. The report measures advertising audience, so the wording was corrected. Its figures for an Indonesian digital economy and Malaysian ad reach had no source and were removed.
For how TikTok’s changes affected one market, see TikTok Shop’s Indonesia comeback and the shift to search-first content.
What should brands do now?
Use this checklist for each campaign:
- Brief every creator to turn on the commercial content disclosure setting for paid, gifted and affiliate posts.
- Label realistic AI scenes, voices or people, and do not show real people endorsing a product through AI.
- Use the Commercial Music Library for all brand content, and keep Sounds and Commercial Sounds out of LIVE streams.
- Check the market list before running gambling-related or other restricted-category content, and remember that the policy also prohibits branded content that disrespects religious elements, cultures or figures.
- Keep captions to five relevant hashtags.
- Re-check TikTok’s policy pages each quarter, because the dates above show they change.
MOCA Technology, founded in 2012, treats the disclosure setting as the one rule that applies to every sponsored creator post, because TikTok’s own help page ties it to For You feed eligibility.
For related platform changes, see platform policy tightening in 2025 and AI content regulations across platforms.
Entity Definitions
Branded Content
TikTok’s term for content that promotes or reviews a third-party brand, product or service in exchange for payment or any other incentive.
Commercial Music Library (CML)
TikTok’s pre-cleared library of 1 million songs that businesses use for organic content, video ads and branded content.
AIGC (AI-generated content)
Content created or significantly edited with AI, which TikTok requires creators to label when it shows realistic-looking scenes or people.
C2PA Content Credentials
A cross-industry standard that attaches metadata to content so platforms can recognise when it was generated by AI.
For You feed
TikTok’s main recommendation feed, where undisclosed commercial content may not be eligible for distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does TikTok require creators to disclose sponsored posts?
Yes. TikTok’s Branded Content Policy requires creators to turn on the commercial content disclosure setting for content that promotes a brand in exchange for payment or another incentive. TikTok’s help page says undisclosed commercial content may not be eligible for the For You feed.
Can brands play TikTok Sounds during a LIVE stream?
No. TikTok’s Music Terms say Sounds and Commercial Sounds cannot be used in a live stream, and any other music needs rights the brand holds itself.
Can brands use any TikTok music in their videos?
No. TikTok’s help page says businesses cannot use the general music library commercially and should use the Commercial Music Library for organic content, video ads and branded content. TikTok’s music terms add that Sounds and Commercial Sounds cannot be used in LIVE streams.
Is there a five-hashtag limit on TikTok?
A five-hashtag cap was reported in August 2025 by Net Influencer, citing Social Media Today. TikTok had not released an official statement, so treat it as a reported limit rather than a published policy.
Is gambling content allowed in TikTok branded content in Southeast Asia?
It depends on the market. TikTok’s Branded Content Policy does not allow it in Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand, and restricts it to users over 18 in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
About MOCA Technology
Founded in 2012, MOCA Technology is an influencer marketing and programmatic advertising platform serving brands across Asia-Pacific. MOCA operates KOLPlanet, a creator marketplace connecting brands with influencers across Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and India.
MOCA’s core services include influencer marketing strategy and execution, creator-brand matchmaking through KOLPlanet, innovative branding solutions, and cross-platform programmatic advertising. The company is headquartered in Shanghai with a local team in Jakarta and regional operations across Southeast Asia.
Running creator campaigns on TikTok in Southeast Asia? Talk to our Indonesia team about creator briefs, disclosure settings and market-by-market policy checks.
Contact: business@moca-tech.net | www.moca-tech.net
First published August 29, 2025. Updated October 25, 2026 with TikTok’s policy pages re-checked at the source, a summary, an FAQ and source links. Rules are dated as shown on each source; claims that could not be traced to a source were corrected or removed.