Despite having rules that ban advertising to users under 18, social media platforms Meta and YouTube have found ways to circumvent these rules.
According to a Financial Times report, both platforms have an ‘unknown’ group among their advertising categories. This group consists of individuals whose information like age, gender, parental status, or household income is unclear. However, this allows for indirect targeting of ads towards youth, offering advertisers a significant opportunity to reach a broader audience.
Advertising Giants’ Strategy of Targeting Young Users
Advertising giant Publicis’s Spark Foundry admitted to initiating this non-compliant marketing strategy in Canada and then implementing it in the USA. The primary reason behind this strategy is stated as preventing young users from shifting to rival platforms like TikTok.
Google Takes Action Against Misleading Advertising Practices
Following these allegations, Google initiated an investigation and canceled the relevant advertising campaigns. Google’s statement emphasized that personalized advertisements targeting individuals under 18 are strictly prohibited and that no assistance should be provided to advertisers or agencies that do not comply with these policies. Additional steps will be taken to prevent such misleading practices. This situation underscores the need for more transparency and oversight regarding how social media platforms process user data and implement advertising policies.