Facebook and Instagram are to tighten restrictions around the data available to firms to target ads at teenage users, the platforms’ parent company Meta has said. From February, advertisers will no longer be able see a user’s gender or the type of posts they have engaged with as a way of targeting adverts to them.
Under the enhanced restrictions, only a user’s age and location will be used to show them advertising, Meta said. The social media giant also confirmed that new controls will be introduced in March enabling teenagers to go into the settings in both apps and choose to “see less” of certain types of adverts.
Many online safety campaigners say social media platforms need to do more to control the types of advertising shown to younger users, warning that inappropriate ads can cause as much harm as offensive or abusive content posted by others. Meta has previously added restrictions that stop advertisers from targeting teenagers with adverts based on their interests and activities, and the company said the latest updates came in response to research on the issue, direct feedback from experts and global regulation.
