Hey there!

While everyone's panicking about Meta's new health & wellness data restrictions, I've spent the last few weeks in the trenches helping brands navigate this mess. Let's cut through the confusion and talk about what's actually working (and what's getting accounts flagged).

Quick background: I've been implementing custom events solutions since these restrictions started hitting, and I'm seeing the same patterns emerge across 20+ health/wellness brands.

Here's the real deal on what's happening and how to mitigate it.

The "Who's Affected" List

• Skincare brands (yes, even if you don't make medical claims)

• Dental practices

• Supplement companies

• Maternity/baby products

• Sleep aids, stress supplements

• Basically anything health-adjacent Meta decides to flag

What's Actually Working

1. Understanding your level of “being blocked”

For example:

• Which domains are being blocked?

• Is Core Setup On?

• Can you still turn on automatic advanced matching in Pixel Settings

This tells you:

• If lower funnel events (Add to Cart, Initiate Checkout, Purchase) get blocked from restricted domains.

• If your the URL parameters after your domain got stripped.

• If automatic advanced matching becomes unavailable.

2. Custom Events Implementation (That Won't Get You Banned)

Here's the approach that's working across my client accounts:

javascript
Copy
// DON'T use these names (will get flagged):
health_purchase
medical_checkout
wellness_conversion

// DO use neutral names:
Aimerce_Target// For Purchase
Aimerce_API// For Add Payment
Aimerce_CKO// For Checkout
Aimerce_ATC// For Add to Cart
Aimerce_SUB// For Lead

3. The Server-Side Non-Negotiables

This isn't optional anymore.

With core setup restrictions:

• Browser pixel data gets limited

• You need control over data transmission

• Proper deduplication becomes crucial

What's Getting Accounts Nuked

• Health terms in ANY parameter

• Missing required fields in your parameter structure

• Not using server-side tracking

• Inconsistent parameter formatting

The Big Myths I Keep Seeing

🧐 "Custom events are a loophole Meta will close"
Nope. Custom events are actually part of Meta's official framework. The key is proper registration and compliance. When you follow their rules, they work reliably.

🇪🇺 "This only affects EU traffic"
False. While EU gets hit hardest, this affects US traffic too. Australia just started seeing restrictions. The rollout is global.

💻️ "Standard events still work if you rename them" 
Don’t do this. You need properly registered custom events, not renamed standard ones.

Quick Wins You Can Implement Today

1. Check your Events Manager categorization immediately
   

2. Register proper custom events (follow the naming convention above)
   

3. Start sending properly registered custom events NOW as a backup
   

4. Set up server-side tracking with proper parameter formatting
   

5. Test everything in Events Testing Tool before going live
   

6. If your Purchase event is already blocked, switch to using the lower-funnel custom conversion event as the conversion target in your Ads Campaign

   👉️ If it is not blocked yet, keep using Purchase events until you can’t
   

7. Setup Purchase, ROAS, CAC metrics properly using custom events in Ads Manager

The Real Talk No One's Having

Look, I get it. This feels like Meta dropping a bomb on health advertisers. But here's the truth - they're not trying to kill your advertising, they're trying to protect themselves legally. That's why properly registered custom events still work - you're taking on the compliance responsibility.

I'll keep updating as we learn more about what Meta's allowing and blocking. Drop your technical questions in the comments below.

✌️ Here to help you win,

Yiqi

P.S. Since many are asking - yes, this approach is working for US traffic. EU needs additional compliance steps. Australia just started seeing restrictions.