Facebook, Instagram ban ads targeted at teens based on gender

BY JOSEPH DE AVILA | UPDATED JAN 10, 2023 03:24 PM EST

Meta Platforms says it will only use age and location to show ads to teens

Meta Platforms Inc. is removing gender as an option for advertisers to target teens on Facebook and Instagram, part of a broader overhaul aimed at tightening the company’s advertising policy for young users.

User activity on Facebook and Instagram will also no longer be used to tailor ads for teens, the company said in a blog post Tuesday. For example, engagement on certain Instagram posts or Facebook pages will no longer inform the types of ads that teens will see, the social-media company said.

The changes are set to go into effect in February, Meta said.

Age and location will be the only information about a teen that Facebook or Instagram will use to show them ads, Meta said. The company already allows teens to see fewer ads about specific topics and plans to expand the number of topics available for that feature starting in March, Meta said.

Meta previously removed the ability for advertisers to target teens based on their interest and activities on other apps and websites. The company also prohibits ads on certain topics for teens like alcohol, financial products and weight loss products.

The changes to teen-targeted advertising are part of Meta’s efforts to keep Instagram and Facebook age-appropriate for young people, a spokeswoman for the company said. Meta made the changes related to gender to reflect feedback from parents and child-developmental experts and comply with regulations in different countries, the spokeswoman said.

Meta’s changes are a good step, but the company should do more to minimize the amount of data it collects from teens, said Irene Ly, policy counsel at Common Sense Media, a child-advocacy organization.

“We have long said that advertisers should not target kids and teens with ads, and that kids and teens should be able to explore the internet without worrying about their online activity being tracked at every move," Ms. Ly said.

Meta faces increasing pressure from European regulators over its advertising policies. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission ruled last week that Meta can’t use its contracts with Facebook and Instagram users to justify sending them ads based on their online activity.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission imposed fines of 390 million euros, or $414 million, on Meta, saying that the company violated European Union privacy laws by saying such ads are necessary to execute contracts with users. Meta said it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal both it and the fines.

Meta also said Monday that it has begun implementing technology designed to improve the equity of housing advertising displayed to Facebook users. The social-media giant agreed in 2021 to adopt new online advertising practices to settle an investigation by U.S. federal officials, who said its ads discriminated against users by race, gender and other factors.

The company’s new Variance Reduction System uses machine-learning technology designed to show housing ads to audiences that more closely reflect the eligible target audience for that ad.