Google and Meta’s Secret Deal to Target Teens with Instagram Ads Sparks Outrage
According to a recent Financial Times report, Google and Meta have secretly agreed to target teenagers with their advertising strategies.
Google and Meta reportedly struck a covert agreement to target underage users with Instagram ads on YouTube, according to a Financial Times report. This deal, which allegedly began late last year, involved targeting users aged 13 to 17 through Google’s “unknown” category, despite Google’s policy against personalized ads for under-18s.
Key Details
- Campaign Details: The secret ad campaign, which launched in May in the US after initial trials in Canada, aimed to promote Instagram to younger users, leveraging Google’s ad platform.
- Policy Violation: Google’s policies, effective since 2021, prohibit targeting ads based on age, gender, or interests for users under 18. The campaign allegedly skirted these rules, with internal documents suggesting efforts to obscure its true intent.
- Reactions and Consequences: Both Google and Meta have faced criticism for prioritizing profit over user safety. Google has since canceled the campaign and stated it will reinforce its policies with sales representatives. Meta defended its practices, stating it adheres to principles when marketing to teens.
- Legislative Context: The report emerges as Congress considers new bills, including the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children’s and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which aim to enforce stricter protections for minors online.
What happened?
The report said Google was aware that the “unknown” user category skews toward those under 18 but allowed the campaign anyway. On its website, Google defines the “unknown” category as referring to users “whose age, gender, parental status, or household income we haven’t identified.”
Internal documents obtained by the outlet reportedly showed that employees tried to disguise the campaign’s true goal of reaching underage users. Google has banned ads targeting under-18 users based on age, gender or interests since 2021.
The two companies launched the US ad campaign in May after earlier trials in Canada, the report said. They reportedly partnered with Spark Foundry, an agency that’s a subsidiary of ad juggernaut Publicis.
One email from an ads manager at Spark asked Google to pitch for the campaign, specifically identifying the “primary” demographic to be targeted is “13 to 17” year-olds, FT reported.
Motives
The fierce Big Tech foes apparently had their own motives for the surreptitious pact, with Google seeking to boost advertising earnings and Meta scrambling to prevent younger Instagram users from flocking to popular video-sharing app TikTok, according to the publication.
Sources told the FT that Google launched an investigation into the allegations after being contacted by the outlet and has since canceled the campaign.
“We prohibit ads being personalized to people under 18, period,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “These policies go well beyond what is required and are supported by technical safeguards.”
“We’ve confirmed that these safeguards worked properly here,” the spokesperson added. “We’ll also be taking additional action to reinforce with sales representatives that they must not help advertisers or agencies run campaigns attempting to work around our policies.”
What next?
The revelations have intensified calls for regulatory action against Big Tech, with critics accusing the companies of violating public trust and exploiting children for profit.
Late last month, the Senate passed a landmark bill called the Kids Online Safety Act, which would enact a legal “duty of care” requiring social media companies like Instagram and YouTube to protect underage users – or face enforcement action by the FTC.
A companion bill, the Children’s and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, blocks targeted ads aimed at underage users and would mandate creation of an “eraser” button on social media sites allowing kids and parents to delete information.
Separately, the state of New Mexico is suing Meta for allegedly failing to protect kids from being contacted by alleged sex predators.
The company has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and touted its efforts to implement safety tools and resources for kids and parents active on its platforms.
