CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A popular social media site banned ads from a West Virginia anti-drug campaign, but now that could change. The only question is, will the non-profit return to TikTok?
Two months ago, TikTok told an organization known as “Gamechanger” that it would no longer accept its ads on the popular social media platform.
Gamechanger had produced ads for an anti-fentanyl campaign, known as “One Pill Can Kill.” The whole program has the strong backing of Governor Jim Justice (R-WV) who is known as the “head coach” of Gamechanger.
Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) are also big supporters.
“I was saddened by it because you know, all we really want to do in the short and long term, is save the lives of our youth. They are dying every day. Parents are putting their kids in the ground in the ground, on a daily basis over this,” said Joe Boczek, Gamechanger Executive Director.
Gamechanger says it was recently notified by TikTok that it could resume buying the anti-fentanyl ads.
But, the executive director says for now, it will simply spend more of its advertising dollars on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and at this time, TikTok is being rejected because of how it treated the Gamechanger program.
So far, TikTok has not responded to our request for comment, via e-mail and other social media platforms.