Google faces EU probe over secret ad deal with Instagram’s owner aimed at teens

The EU has been a thorn in the side of big tech companies for some time. As usual, another day means another crackdown on tech giants by the European Commission – this time targeting minors.

Regulators investigate Google, Meta for violating advertising rules targeting minors

The European Commission is investigating Google’s secret advertising partnership with Meta, which reportedly served Instagram ads to minors on YouTube, according to the European Commission. financial times. While the committee has not yet opened a formal investigation, it is following up on its October request for information, which includes internal chats, emails, briefings and more about YouTube ads. A previous report in August claimed that Google employees used a workaround to serve ads to individuals under the age of 18. Apparently, Meta and Google teamed up to run a secret campaign specifically targeting 13- to 17-year-olds, placing Instagram ads on YouTube.

The move raises serious concerns because Google has a long-standing policy banning ads targeted at minors. Still, Google employees reportedly suggested that Meta focus its ads on a group labeled “unknown,” which according to internal data included a large number of people under the age of 18.

The companies partnered with media agency Spark Foundry to launch a pilot advertising program in Canada, later expanding to the United States. However, following the public report, they decided to halt plans to expand the program to other countries or incorporate it into other Meta platforms.

In response, Google held a virtual town hall for its advertising employees, restating the company’s policies and asking employees to confirm whether they understood and accepted their responsibilities.

– Google, 2024

Google is said to be taking a more cautious approach when working with Meta, particularly on campaigns aimed at promoting the social media app to younger users.

Still, Meta remains a major advertiser, while Google continues to dominate online advertising. As a result, the two companies are still working together on various campaigns for Instagram and Facebook across multiple platforms, including YouTube.

As I mentioned before, this isn’t the first time the EU has targeted big tech companies, and I honestly don’t have a problem with that – especially when it comes to protecting minors. Speaking of which, not long ago, European Commission asks YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok to provide details about how their algorithms recommend content to users.

at the same time, Smartphones with health labels may soon become a reality in Spainand follow the example of Australia, Sweden may consider cutting off teenagers from social mediaalso.