Meta to further limit how ads target teens

Meta has announced it will remove ‘gender’ and ‘engagement with posts’ as ways to target teens on Facebook and Instagram from February.

In a blog post, the social media giant said this was in addition to previous changes it had made that meant advertisers could no longer target teen users based on interests and activities.

Meta confirmed age and location would be the only information advertisers could use to target their ads, which it says will help to “continue to ensure teens see ads that are meant for their age and products and services available where they live.”

From March, teen users of Facebook and Instagram will also be able to manage the types of ads they see through an additional section under “Ad Preferences” within “Settings called “Ad Topic Controls”.

They can choose to “See Less” or “No Preference”. As an example, a teen can choose to see fewer ads around a genre of TV show or an upcoming sports season.

Meta further stated in the post that its Advertising Standards already prohibits ads around alcohol, financial products, weight loss products and services to users aged under 18.