Instagram and TikTok pull ads from startup Cerebral linking ADHD to obesity

Emotional, Burning, Unlimited Tuned Laboratory

Mental health startup endorsed by Simone Biles has ads pulled over misleading claims.

Meta and TikTok pulled advertisements from a major mental health care startup this week after receiving inquiries from NBC News. The social media platforms found the ads promoted negative body images and contained misleading health claims.

One of the ads run by Cerebral, which was recently valued at $4.8 billion and has hired Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles as its chief impact officer, featured a woman surrounded by junk food such as cake, doughnuts and chips. The accompanying text read, “Those who live by impulse, eat by impulse.” The ad said obesity is “five times more prevalent” among adults with ADHD, and stated that getting treatment for the mental health disorder could help patients “stop overeating.”