Meta to Block Ads Targeted at Teenagers Based on Gender From February 6gm4c Technology News

Meta also said that a teenager's previous activity on Meta-owned apps will no longer inform the ads they see on the platform. 3v6g49

By Agence -Presse | Updated: 11 January 2023 11:07 IST

Photo Credit: Reuters 3v6d2p

European regulators also rejected the legal basis Meta used to justify gathering s' personal data

Highlights

Meta said that the changes reflected from parents, experts
rs allowed using data when targeting ads at teens globally
Meta was handed a EUR 390 million fine last week by EU over advertising

ment

Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook, on Tuesday said it will stop allowing rs to target ads at teens based on gender, as it fights accusations that its platforms are harmful to young s.

Beginning in February, the social media giant said rs, the source of the company's massive revenues, would only be able to use age and location when targeting ads at teens 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.

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In a blog post, Meta said that the changes came because it recognizes "that teens aren't necessarily as equipped as adults to make decisions about how their online data is used for advertising."

Meta said that the changes reflected from parents and experts and would comply with new rules in several countries on content geared at young people.

The company formerly known as Facebook is facing increasing pressure and fines to curb its practice of delivering narrowly targeted ads to its s, a practice that brings in billions of dollars in revenue from rs every year.

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After a long legal tussle, the Silicon Valley titan was handed a Euro 390 million (roughly Rs. 3,400 crore) fine last week as part of a years-long tussle with the European Union over advertising.

More worryingly for the firm founded by Mark Zuckerberg, European regulators also rejected the legal basis Meta used to justify gathering s' personal data for use in targeted advertising.

Apple have also faced investigations and fines by regulators for breaching privacy laws through targeted ads.

In the US, Meta and other social media giants have mostly faced scrutiny from local authorities, with nationwide laws blocked due to intense lobbying by tech giants and a politically divided Congress in Washington.

The public school district in the US city of Seattle last week filed a lawsuit against tech giants, including Meta, for allegedly causing mental harm, depression, and anxiety among students.

Public school officials said they are "holding social media companies able for the harm they have wreaked on the social, emotional, and mental health" of teenage students.

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