Brand safety has become a pressing issue in digital advertising, encompassing practices and tools that aim to prevent ads from being displayed alongside content that could damage a brand’s reputation. This content can include hate speech, violence, misinformation, adult material, and other categories deemed inappropriate for advertising. The importance of brand safety has grown, especially in programmatic environments, social media feeds, video platforms, and influencer content. A report by Integral Ad Science (IAS) and YouGov in January 2026 revealed that 83% of U.S. digital media experts view brand safety as an increasing concern, particularly as the volume of digital video ads rises. The rise of AI-generated content, fragmented social media feeds, and reduced platform moderation have exacerbated these risks.
Distinguishing brand safety from brand suitability is essential for effective media planning. While brand safety focuses on avoiding universally harmful content—such as illegal activities and explicit materials—brand suitability is more subjective, assessing whether the context surrounding an ad aligns with a specific brand’s values and audience. For instance, a fast-food brand and a luxury watchmaker would have different suitability thresholds, even if the surrounding content is not overtly harmful. According to DoubleVerify’s 2025 Global Insights report, 65% of marketing and advertising decision-makers worldwide express concerns about suitability on social platforms. This concern is reflected in consumer behavior, with 64% of consumers saying that the genre of nearby content impacts their perception of ads, indicating that failures in suitability can undermine campaign effectiveness.
The emergence of AI-generated content has introduced new brand safety challenges. As social platforms become inundated with AI-generated material, the quality of environments where ads appear has suffered. A recent analysis by Kapwing revealed that more than one in five videos recommended by YouTube’s algorithm consists of what is termed “AI slop.” This decline in quality has not gone unnoticed by consumers; 85% report that uncanny elements in AI-generated content detract from their viewing experience. Furthermore, 49% of U.S. adults state they would reduce their use of social platforms if AI content proliferated in their feeds. Advertisers are particularly concerned about adjacency risks, with 53% of U.S. media experts listing proximity to AI content as a top media challenge for 2026.
Influencer and creator campaigns present unique brand safety risks that differ from traditional media. The personal conduct and past content of creators, along with their audience behavior, significantly impact a brand’s reputation. However, vetting practices for influencers are often inadequate; over 50% of marketers reportedly spend 30 minutes or less vetting a single influencer, according to a survey by EMARKETER and Viral Nation. The risks compound as a creator deemed brand-safe today may find themselves embroiled in controversy tomorrow. With underground internet communities making it harder to detect emerging risks, the need for stringent vetting processes is critical.
The expectations for influencer vetting starkly contrast with the reality. While 96.6% of brands desire documentation on the vetting process, only 25.6% consistently receive it. According to EMARKETER and Viral Nation, just 21.8% of brands believe that their agency partners maintain a well-defined vetting process, and only 29% of agencies report offering standardized protocols. This disconnect highlights how the complexity of the creator ecosystem has outpaced the evolution of vetting practices. Enhanced documentation and stringent vetting can safeguard brand reputation and empower marketers to engage in bolder creative endeavors with influencers.
Social media platforms are responding to brand safety concerns with varying degrees of commitment. In October 2025, Meta introduced new brand safety and suitability tools for Threads and Instagram, which include third-party verification through DoubleVerify and IAS. However, the company also withdrew from Media Rating Council (MRC) brand safety audits, raising alarm among advertisers. Other platforms are taking more direct action against AI content, responding to growing pressure from advertisers. Yet, effective brand safety enforcement remains inconsistent across the board.
Industry standards and verification tools are evolving to address these challenges. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) launched its AI Transparency and Disclosure Framework in January 2026, which recommends consumer-facing disclosures for AI use in advertising, supported by machine-readable metadata employing C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) standards. Although this framework is voluntary, adoption is crucial for enhancing transparency in advertising. A survey by IAS and YouGov indicated that 61% of U.S. digital media professionals are enthusiastic about advertising within AI-generated content, with only 2% outright rejecting it. Furthermore, 73% of Gen Zers and millennials indicated that clear AI disclosures would either increase or not affect their likelihood of purchasing.
Marketers looking to build a robust brand safety strategy for creator and AI content in 2026 should focus on three main areas: establishing clear vetting processes for creator partnerships, implementing placement controls to minimize exposure alongside synthetic content, and investing in third-party measurement partners to enhance accountability. Viewability and attention metrics are critical for evaluating social media campaign performance, as highlighted by IAS. As the landscape continues to evolve, 46% of digital media experts believe that social media holds significant potential for innovation in 2026, suggesting that brands willing to invest in protection can navigate these complexities effectively.
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