SAN FRANCISCO: Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, said on Tuesday it will stop allowing advertisers to target ads to teenagers based on gender, as it fights allegations that its platform Harmful to young consumers.
The social media giant launched in February that advertisers, which are the company’s biggest source of revenue, will only be able to use age and location when targeting ads to teenagers globally.
In another break with practice, a teen’s previous activity on Meta-owned apps will no longer inform the ads they see, the company said.
In a blog post, Meta said the changes came because it recognizes that “teenagers are not necessarily as equipped as adults to make decisions about how their online data is used for advertising.” goes.”
Meta said the changes reflect feedback from parents and experts and will comply with new laws in many countries on content designed for young people.
The company, formerly known as Facebook, is facing increasing pressure and fines to stop serving limited targeted ads to its users, a practice that advertisers must use every year. Billions of dollars in revenue.
After a protracted legal tussle, the Silicon Valley titan was fined 390 million euros ($413-million) last week as part of a years-long dispute with the European Union over advertising.
More worryingly for the Mark Zuckerberg-founded firm, European regulators also rejected Meta’s legal basis for using users’ personal data in targeted advertising.
Google and Apple have also faced investigations and fines from regulators for violating privacy laws through targeted advertising.
In the U.S., Meta and other social media giants have faced scrutiny from mostly local authorities, blocking nationwide laws due to intense lobbying by tech giants and a politically divided Congress in Washington. has gone
The US city of Seattle’s public school district filed a lawsuit last week against tech giants, including Meta, for allegedly causing mental damage, depression and anxiety among students.
Public school officials said they are holding social media companies responsible for the “damage to the social, emotional and mental health” of teenage students.
