Regulators investigate Google and Meta for breaking ad rules on minors
The European Commission is looking into Google’s secret ad partnership with Meta, which reportedly targeted Instagram ads at minors on YouTube, according to the Financial Times. While the Commission hasn’t opened a formal investigation yet, it’s following up on information it requested back in October, which includes internal chats, emails, presentations, and more about the YouTube ads. This follows a report in August that Google employees used a workaround to target individuals under 18 with ads. Apparently, Meta and Google teamed up for a covert campaign aimed specifically at 13 to 17-year-olds, running Instagram ads on YouTube.
This move raised serious concerns as Google has long had a policy banning ads targeted at minors. Despite this, Google employees reportedly advised Meta to focus ads on a group labeled “unknown,” which, according to internal data, contained a significant number of individuals under 18.
The two companies partnered with media agency Spark Foundry to launch a pilot ad program in Canada, which then expanded to the US. However, after the public report, they decided to halt plans to extend the program to other countries or include other Meta platforms.
In response, Google has held virtual town halls for its advertising staff, reiterating the company’s policies and requiring employees to confirm they understand and accept their responsibilities.
The safeguards we have to protect teens, like prohibiting ad personalisation, are industry-leading and continue to work. We’ve held updated internal trainings to ensure our sales teams remain aware of our policies and technical problems.
– Google, 2024
Google is said to be taking a more cautious approach when it comes to partnering with Meta, especially on campaigns aimed at promoting social media apps to younger users.
That said, Meta remains a major advertiser, and Google continues to dominate the online advertising space. As a result, the two companies are still collaborating on various campaigns for Instagram and Facebook across multiple platforms, including YouTube.
As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t the first time the EU has targeted big tech companies, and honestly, I’m okay with it – especially when it comes to protecting minors. Speaking of which, not too long ago, the EU Commission asked YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok to provide details on how their algorithms suggest content to users.
Meanwhile, smartphones with health labels might soon become a reality in Spain, and following Australia’s lead, Sweden could be looking to cut teens off social media, too.