Google and Meta Struck Secret Ads Deal to Target Teenagers

• Google and Meta collaborated on a secret project to target 13- to 17-year-olds with Instagram ads on YouTube, bypassing Google's own rules for minors.
• The campaign targeted users labeled as 'unknown,' which Google knew skewed towards under-18s, and steps were taken to disguise the true intent of the campaign.
• The project violated Google's policies against personalizing and targeting ads to under-18s, but Google claimed no registered under-18 users were directly targeted.
• The campaign was initially launched in Canada and later trialed in the US, with plans for further expansion before being canceled after an investigation.
• The revelation comes amid increasing scrutiny and legal challenges against Meta for its practices towards minors, and calls for stricter regulation of Big Tech companies.

Source: Financial Times