ACLJ Calls on Congress To Confront Google and TikTok’s Systematic Censorship of Christian Content

Across America, Christian content creators are being silenced – not because their material is harmful, but because it is faith-based. Big Tech platforms like Google and TikTok have created a coordinated system of discrimination designed to suppress religious speech, particularly when it comes to wholesome, family-friendly content for children.

This week, the ACLJ sent a letter to Members of Congress on behalf of our client, TruPlay Games – a Christian digital media company that provides Bible-based gaming content for children. The letter detailed the ongoing and systematic discrimination TruPlay has endured from Google and TikTok, and it calls for an immediate congressional investigation into these platforms’ religious content advertising policies.

In our letter to Congress, we presented clear evidence of how Google and TikTok systematically reject advertisements for Christian children’s content while allowing secular content to advertise without restriction.

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TruPlay Games creates educational Bible-based video games and entertainment specifically designed for families – with no violent, sexual, or objectionable material. Yet since 2023, Google has rejected dozens of TruPlay’s advertisements under a policy labeled “Religious belief in personalized advertising.”

Google’s policy publicly prohibits targeting audiences based on religious belief. But in practice, Google applies this policy to reject advertisements simply because they contain religious content. TruPlay’s ads target general demographics like parents and families – not audiences selected based on religious belief. Yet advertisements with messaging such as “Christian Games for Kids” and “Safe Bible Games for Kids” have all been systematically blocked.

TikTok has engaged in identical censorship, permanently suspending TruPlay’s advertising account for “repeated violations.” In one instance, TikTok rejected an advertisement because it included the keyword “church.” Further, TikTok banned other ads simply because the Apple App Store preview pictures showed a cartoon image of Jesus on the cross. The double standard is clear: Secular children’s content advertises freely while Christian content is systematically blocked. Parents searching for family-friendly content are shown secular options but denied access to Christian alternatives.

This discrimination is not unique to TruPlay. As early as 2022, advertising agencies highlighted the problem, noting that while Google’s intention may be to protect people from predatory targeting, the result is that faith-based organizations are being flagged simply for expressing their religious affiliation. More recently, FCC Chair Brendan Carr sent a letter to Google regarding YouTube TV’s removal of Great American Family from its channel lineup, questioning whether this constituted viewpoint discrimination against faith-based content.

The ACLJ is urging Congress to investigate Google and TikTok’s religious content advertising policies and to hold prompt hearings to find solutions that ensure the digital marketplace remains open to those with religious beliefs and viewpoints.

American families deserve a level playing field where faith-based and secular content compete on merit, not platform bias. When religious organizations cannot reach their audiences through the dominant communication channels of modern society, religious liberty suffers. The ACLJ will continue to fight for the rights of Christian Americans and companies to participate fully in the digital public square.

Take action and sign our petition: Defeat the Left’s War Against Christians.