Meta has announced changes to its social networks so that teens can choose the type of ads they like to see. Advertisers will now only be able to see your age and location to show you ads.
Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, announced that it will roll out a new settings update for both apps starting in March so teens can manage the types of ads they don’t want to see.
With this update, users under the age of 18 will be able to select which ads they don’t want to see or restrict all ads from a specific advertiser. To do this, all you have to do is go to the Ads Preferences option in Social Media Settings and then click the Ad Themes button.
Once inside, a search bar will appear where you can select ad themes and choose between See Less or No Preferences. By default, Meta already blocks ads for topics like alcohol, financial products, and weight loss products or services.
To help teens understand the options they have to protect their privacy, Meta added a new page with information about the privacy tools and settings they can use in the company’s apps.
Meta also Tightens Restrictions on Advertisers
In addition to including the new update, Meta is rolling out changes for advertisers who want to target minors. Previously, social networks had already removed the option to use the interests and activities of adolescents as parameters to send them ads.
Now, starting in February, both Facebook and Instagram will remove the gender option so advertisers can’t use that information to retarget ads. They also won’t let them access data about your social media interactions, such as the posts they like or the types of ads they’ve seen.
Meta said it will only provide the age and location of teen users to ensure they see age-appropriate ads for products and services available where they live.
The tech company says it is committed to creating safe ad experiences for teens because it “recognizes that they are not informed enough as adults to make decisions about how their online data is used for advertising.”
