A recent report by the Financial Times reveals that Google and Meta ran a covert ad campaign targeting teenagers, violating Google’s own policies. The campaign, which used Instagram ads on YouTube to reach 13- to 17-year-olds, has raised concerns about the companies’ adherence to advertising rules.
Following the report, Google conducted an internal investigation and shut down the project. The company described the campaign as “small in nature” and claimed it is taking “appropriate steps” to address the issue, including updating its training for sales representatives. Google emphasized that advertising to individuals under 18 is strictly prohibited, and stated, “We prohibit ads being personalized to people under 18, period.”
The secret campaign, managed by the U.S.-based advertising agency Spark Foundry, was initially tested in the U.S. in May and later rolled out in Canada. It was designed to eventually promote services like Facebook globally.
The ads were targeted at a group categorized as “unknown” in Google’s system, a label suggesting that users’ ages and other demographics were not initially identified. However, Google had the capability to determine that these “unknown” users were teenagers based on data from app downloads and online activity.
The exposure of this campaign comes at a time when the U.S. Senate has recently passed legislation aimed at protecting minors online. The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPA 2.0) prohibits targeted advertising to minors and restricts data collection without consent. Additionally, the Kids Online Safety Act requires tech companies to design platforms that protect users from harm, including cyberbullying and exploitation.
