Teens on YouTube were secretly shown Instagram ads in violation of Google’s rules

Google and Meta✴ entered into a secret agreement to serve Instagram✴ ads to teenagers on YouTube, circumventing their own rules regarding underage users. A Financial Times investigation has revealed that Google has developed a marketing project to secretly promote the Instagram✴ app to a younger audience.

Image source: TymonOziemblewski/Pixabay

According to documents obtained by the Financial Times (FT) from sources familiar with the matter, the project was aimed at YouTube users aged 13 to 17. As part of an advertising campaign on Google Ads, Instagram✴ deliberately selected a group of users labeled as “unknown” in the system. It was known that this group mainly consists of people under 18 years of age. Evidence obtained by the FT suggests special steps were taken to conceal the true aims of the campaign.

Google and Meta✴ began collaborating late last year. Google was looking to boost its advertising revenue, and Meta✴ was trying to keep the attention of younger users against fast-growing competitors such as TikTok. The project violated Google’s policies prohibiting personalization and targeting of ads to minors, including serving ads based on demographic data.

After the FT’s request, Google launched an internal investigation, while not denying the use of the “unknowns” loophole. “We will take additional steps to remind managers not to help advertisers or agencies run campaigns that attempt to circumvent our policies,” the company said. Meta✴ stated that it does not consider the selection of “unknown” audiences to be personalization or circumvention of the rules. However, American critic Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), noted that “Meta✴ is losing its youth audience and has found a workaround to attract them back.”

Marsha Blackburn, an American politician representing the Republican Party, commented on the situation: “The tech giants cannot be trusted to protect our children.” She called on Congress to pass the Children’s Online Safety Act (KOSA). “Caught exploiting our children again, Silicon Valley executives have proven they will always put profits before our children’s interests.”