Meta and Google are facing allegations of breaching their own advertising policies to target teenagers with Instagram ads on YouTube, according to a Financial Times report. The controversy highlights the lengths to which tech companies might go to maintain their influence and revenue streams, even if it means bending their rules.
The report claims that Meta and Google collaborated on an ad campaign aimed at users aged 13 to 17, despite Google’s policies that prohibit targeting individuals under 18. The ads were directed at a demographic labeled as “unknown” in Google’s advertising system—a category typically used for users whose specific age or gender is not disclosed.
It appears that Google might have used data from app downloads and online behavior to infer that many of these “unknown” users were actually teenagers, thus circumventing restrictions that Google had put in place in 2021 to prevent targeting minors based on age, gender, or interests.
The campaign, managed with the help of the US-based advertising agency Spark Foundry, initially launched in Canada and was tested in the United States in May, with plans for a global rollout. This move coincided with a drop in Google’s ad revenue and a shift of Meta’s younger user base to competitors like TikTok.
Following the revelation, Google conducted an internal investigation and promptly terminated the program. In a statement, Google reaffirmed its commitment to protecting minors, stating, “We prohibit ads being personalized to people under 18, period.” The company also pledged to strengthen its policies and ensure compliance to prevent future violations.
In 2023, Meta revised its ad policies to prevent targeting users under 18 by gender on Facebook and Instagram, aiming to ensure that teens see only age-appropriate ads relevant to their region.
The situation has sparked a broader debate about the practices of tech giants and their efforts to circumvent regulations to protect their advertising revenue and market position.
