Social media giant Meta restricts ad firms from accessing teenagers' user data starting next month

The prominent sites Facebook and Instagram are owned by the social media behemoth Meta, which has tightened data limitations for marketers. The business declared that it will now forbid advertising companies from accessing the data of young consumers. Ads are being targeted to underage users using this data. Advertisers won't be able to see a user's gender or the kinds of posts they have participated in as of next month, according to a post on the Meta blog. This information aided marketers in their efforts to target youngsters with advertisements. The installation of these new limits would require businesses to only display advertising to users depending on their location and age, Meta further disclosed.

The parent firm of Facebook has also stated that it would provide new restrictions in March that will enable teenagers using social media to ban adverts. By going to the settings area on Facebook and Instagram, users may decide to "see less" of particular ad kinds.

In the past, Meta imposed constraints to prevent marketers from focusing their advertising on teens based on their interests and actions. Following an in-depth investigation into the matter, candid comments from professionals, and international regulation, the corporation decided to apply the new modifications.

Several internet safety advocates have also criticized social media sites for their inaction in limiting the sorts of advertising that are displayed to younger users. These activists have expressed their displeasure that unsuitable advertisements may hurt teenagers just as much as disrespectful or abusive postings.

In the past, Meta was compelled to consider how its usage would affect teenagers. Irish regulators opened a two-year inquiry into the firm's Instagram platform in 2020. The inspectors looked into whether switching to a business account on Instagram resulted in the sharing of underage users' contact information.

Teenagers might access company accounts on social networking sites and openly display their phone numbers and email addresses. In September 2022, the firm was additionally penalized US$492 million for breaking the General Data Protection Regulation.