Meta's Three Health and Wellness Restriction Tiers, and How to Tell Which One You Have

Last updated: November 11, 2026 · By Jason Garrett, Founder, Coast Studio. Not legal advice — review claims with counsel.

Short answer: Meta applies three data sharing restrictions to websites and apps in its health and wellness category: Core Setup, a restriction on certain standard events, and full restrictions. Practitioners call them Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. A data source can carry one restriction or several, and each can apply in specific regions or everywhere. Events Manager tells you which applies to you.

The three tiers at a glance

Tier	Meta's name	What Meta restricts	What may remain available
Tier 1	Core Setup	Custom parameters and everything in a URL after the domain	Standard events with standard parameters. Core Setup alone does not block Purchase
Tier 2	Restriction on certain standard events	Specific mid- and lower-funnel standard events	Standard events outside the restriction and confirmed custom events, subject to eligibility
Tier 3	Full restrictions	All events, in specific regions or in all regions	Objectives that need no Business Tools data: Awareness, Engagement, Traffic

I explain how the framework plays out in practice in my article for Ours Privacy.

How to tell which tier you are in

Events Manager is the authority. Establish your tier from four things it shows.

The notice. Meta sends an email and an Events Manager notification when it limits or fully restricts a data source.
The settings. Open Events Manager, click Datasets, select your dataset, open the Settings tab, and click Manage under Manage data source categories. Each data source shows its category, its status, and its restriction.
The affected events. Read which events the restriction covers.
The affected regions. A restriction can cover specific countries or regions, or apply globally.

Clues that point to each tier

URLs in recent events end at the domain and custom parameters are missing. That pattern suggests Core Setup.
Upper-funnel events arrive while Purchase, Lead, or AddToCart do not. That pattern suggests a restriction on certain standard events.
No event from the data source is usable for ads in a region. That pattern suggests full restrictions there.

Treat each as a clue. Missing parameters, missing Purchase events, and unusable events have other causes, including tag changes, consent settings, and a block on a single parameter. Confirm against the notice and the settings.

Check eligibility as well as receipt. An event that arrives in Events Manager has been received. Whether you can optimize toward it or build an audience on it is a separate check, made in the ad set and in Audiences.

Tier 1: Core Setup

Core Setup restricts custom parameters and the part of every URL after the domain. Core Setup alone does not block Purchase. Meta says most campaigns should continue to run as expected. The effects fall on URL-based custom audiences, automatic advanced matching, catalog updates through the pixel, and the detail visible in Events Manager.

Meta turns Core Setup on for four reasons: Meta placed the data source in a category that requires it, someone on your account chose a restricted category, the account received multiple notifications that its data may violate the Business Tools Terms, or someone on your account switched it on. On the third reason, Meta says repeated blocked-parameter notifications can place a Business Tool in Core Setup for at least 90 days.

Tier 2: restriction on certain standard events

Tier 2 restricts specific mid- and lower-funnel standard events. Meta publishes no list of the events and tells advertisers to evaluate which are restricted on their own data source. Purchase can be among them. Meta's guidance is to use alternative events, including upper-funnel events. Our purchase-event guide covers what to do next.

Tier 3: full restrictions

Full restrictions stop all event sharing in the regions they cover. Meta states that Business Tools cannot be used for ads purposes where full restrictions are in place, and custom events may be unavailable. Meta points fully restricted advertisers to objectives that need no Business Tools data: Awareness, Engagement, and Traffic.

Can you move to a lighter tier?

The restriction follows the category. If Meta assigned a category that misdescribes your business, request a review from the Manage data source categories screen. If someone on your account chose the category, you can edit it there. You cannot edit a category Meta assigned. Our category-removal guide covers the review.

FAQ

What do Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 mean?
Tier 1 is Core Setup: Meta stops custom parameters and the part of a URL after the domain. Tier 2 is the restriction on certain standard events: Meta stops specific mid- and lower-funnel events. Tier 3 is full restrictions: Meta stops all events in the affected regions. Meta's help pages use the restriction names, and the tier numbers are the working shorthand. My Ours Privacy article walks through the framework.

What is a Meta Tier 2 restriction?
Tier 2 is Meta's restriction on certain standard events. Meta stops accepting specific mid- and lower-funnel standard events from a categorized website or app.

Does Core Setup block Purchase?
Core Setup alone does not. It restricts custom parameters and URL details. If Purchase is blocked, your notice names another reason.

Can a data source carry more than one restriction?
Yes. Meta says it may apply one or more restrictions to a categorized data source, and each can differ by country or region.

Do the tiers apply to apps?
Yes. Meta categorizes data sources, and its examples include both websites and apps. Our apps guide covers the differences.

Who assigns the category?
Meta assigns it, or someone on your account does. Meta can categorize a data source you have already categorized yourself.

Sources

Not legal advice. Review claims with counsel.