Christian gaming creator urges congressional action on Google TikTok policies

A Christian game creator is urging congress to examine Google and TikTok’s advertising policies after the company said its ads were repeatedly rejected despite them targeting general audiences and family-friendly content.

The American Center for law and Justice (ACLJ) said on Wednesday that it had sent a letter to members of Congress on behalf of its client TruPlay Games, calling on them to conduct an investigation into how the two platforms enforce their advertising rules.

According to the ACLJ, TruPlay has faced dozens of ad rejections since 2023, including ads that were not targeted based on religious belief.

“This is repeated behavior by the dozens,” TruPlay CEO Brent Duesing told FOX Business. “We were getting rejected several times a week.”

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TruPlay Games produces Bible-based video games designed for children and families, including titles such as “King David’s Battles” and “Chirp Song: Words of Praise.”

The company’s mission is to offer families a faith-based alternative in children’s entertainment, centered around Christian values ​​and biblical storytelling, Dusing said.

Dusing said TruPlay began advertising on Google in 2023 and on TikTok in January 2024. The restrictions on Google began about a month after it began advertising, while TikTok disapprovals escalated more sharply in 2025, he said.

The ACLJ said in its letter that TruPlay’s ads were rejected under Google’s policy governing “religious belief in personalized advertising,” even though the ads were directed at broad audiences such as parents and mobile game users rather than at users selected on the basis of religious belief.

TruPlay modified the ad language several times in an attempt to comply with the platform’s rules, including removing terms like “Christian” and “Bible,” but the ads continued to be rejected, the ACLJ said.

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In this graphic provided by TruPlay Games, the company showed off changes to its campaign wording for Google policies. (Courtesy of TruPlay Games)

Examples cited by the group include ads originally labeled “Christian Games for Kids” and “Safe Bible Games for Kids,” which were later revised but were still flagged, according to TruPlay.

“Our ads were targeted to general audiences – families and parents – and not to users based on religious belief,” Dusing said.

Losing access to Google Ads and TikTok has had a “devastating” impact on the business, Dusing said.

Duesing noted that Google and TikTok represent a large share of the digital advertising market for consumer-facing businesses.

“When you lose those platforms, you lose a tremendous ability to reach your potential audience,” he said.

He added that TruPlay has successfully advertised on Meta platforms including Facebook, Instagram and X without experiencing similar issues.

A selection of TruPlay ads, including one featuring Riley Gaines, have been banned by TikTok administrators. (Courtesy of TruPlay Games)

TikTok took similar enforcement action, according to the ACLJ, permanently suspending TruPlay’s advertising account after what the platform called “repeated violations.” In one case cited in the letter, the ACLJ said TikTok rejected an ad that included the word “church.” In another case, the group said TikTok rejected ads because a preview of the images in Apple’s App Store showed a cartoon of Jesus.

In a statement to FOX Business, the ACLJ said it has not yet received a response from Congress.

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In a blog post published Wednesday, ACLJ senior associate counsel Nathan Mulker said the organization is asking Congress to hold hearings and review whether current advertising policies amount to viewpoint discrimination against religious companies.

The ACLJ also cited broader concerns about how Big Tech enforces content and advertising rules, citing a recent letter from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr questioning Google’s removal of the Great American Family Network from YouTube TV.

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Dusing pointed to automated content moderation systems as a central problem, telling FOX Business that “these decisions are not made by a person over the phone, they are made by automated systems.”

In a statement to FOX Business, a Google spokesperson said: “Ads containing religious content are allowed to run on our platforms. Our policies prohibit targeting people based on their sensitive information, including their religious affiliation, and are consistently applied regardless of their beliefs.”

Google said TruPlay ads were shown last November, including ads containing religious terms.

TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the ACLJ’s allegations or how it enforces its advertising policies when it comes to religious content.