SHAFT and other restricted content in business texting
What the SHAFT content categories are, why carriers restrict them, which legitimate businesses get caught by the rules, and how age-gating works in practice.
·5 min read
Carriers apply content standards to business messaging that go beyond what the law prohibits. The shorthand for the main restricted categories is SHAFT: sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and tobacco.
The point that surprises people is that these apply to businesses operating entirely legally. A licensed distillery and a licensed gun shop are lawful businesses whose ordinary marketing runs straight into carrier policy.
What the categories cover
Sexual content, hate speech, alcohol, firearms and tobacco — with cannabis and vaping generally treated as restricted or prohibited as well, regardless of state legality.
Restrictions differ by category. Some are prohibited outright for business messaging; others are permitted with age verification. Carriers set these standards and can change them, which is why the practical answer is always to check current policy rather than rely on what was true last year.
- ✓Sexual content — generally prohibited
- ✓Hate speech — prohibited
- ✓Alcohol — typically allowed with age gating
- ✓Firearms — heavily restricted, varies by what is being promoted
- ✓Tobacco and vaping — heavily restricted or prohibited
- ✓Cannabis — generally prohibited even where state-legal
Age gating, where it is permitted
Where a category is allowed with age verification, the campaign must be registered as age-gated and the business must actually verify age at opt-in rather than simply asking a subscriber to confirm they are of age in a reply.
Registering a campaign as age-gated and then not gating it is the kind of mismatch that gets traffic blocked and a brand's standing damaged.
Adjacent businesses get caught too
Restaurants promoting happy hour, venues advertising a beer festival, hunting outfitters, vape shops, and dispensaries all encounter these rules while doing something entirely lawful.
The workable approach is usually to keep restricted products out of the message content itself — invite people to an event, a menu or a location rather than naming and promoting the restricted item.
Key takeaways
- →SHAFT covers sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and tobacco.
- →Carrier policy is stricter than the law — legal businesses get caught.
- →Cannabis is generally prohibited even where state-legal.
- →Registering as age-gated without actually gating gets traffic blocked.
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Frequently asked questions
What does SHAFT stand for in SMS?
Sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and tobacco — the main content categories carriers restrict in business messaging. Cannabis and vaping are generally treated as restricted or prohibited as well.
Can a bar or restaurant text about drink specials?
Alcohol content is typically permitted only with a properly registered and genuinely enforced age gate. Many venues avoid the issue by promoting the event, menu or location rather than naming and promoting alcohol itself. Check current carrier policy, which changes.
Can cannabis businesses send marketing texts?
Generally no. Carrier policy commonly prohibits cannabis messaging regardless of state legality, which is a policy decision rather than a legal one and is not resolved by operating in a state where the product is lawful.