Google-Meta Teen Advertising Deal Under EU Scrutiny

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European regulators have requested additional details from Google regarding its now-discontinued secret advertising partnership with Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram, which allegedly bypassed Google's guidelines on safeguarding minors online, according to a report by the Financial Times on Tuesday.

An August investigation by the FT uncovered that Google collaborated with Meta on a covert marketing initiative targeting teenagers aged 13 to 17 who use YouTube, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, to promote Instagram. The campaign, initially limited to the U.S., was intended to expand globally but has since been terminated, the report stated.

Despite the campaign’s cancellation, the European Commission has been examining the partnership and has forwarded gathered information to regulators, who are considering possible actions, the FT report said, citing anonymous sources. In October, the Commission directed Alphabet’s legal team to collect and review data, presentations, internal communications, and emails tied to the advertising efforts.

“Our safeguards to protect teens, including banning personalized ad targeting, are industry-leading and remain effective,” a Google spokesperson said via email, adding that the company has introduced updated internal training to ensure sales teams are informed about policies and technical protections.

Meta, which also owns Facebook, and the European Commission have yet to comment on the matter. Earlier this year, Meta introduced enhanced privacy and parental controls for Instagram accounts belonging to users under 18, aiming to address concerns about the impact of social media on young users.

Google has policies restricting ad targeting based on age, gender, or interests for individuals under 18.

Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.