Facebook Teen Surveillance: Ad Targeting Concerns

Meta Accused of Continued Teen Ad Tracking Despite Public Claims

Recent research from Fairplay, Global Action Plan, and Reset Australia suggests that Meta, the company previously known as Facebook, is still actively tracking teenagers for ad targeting purposes on its social media platforms. This finding appears to contradict Meta’s earlier announcement this summer, where the company stated it would be restricting how advertisers could reach younger audiences.

Brand Rebranding and Ongoing Concerns

Meta rebranded from Facebook in an attempt to distance itself from a series of scandals and improve its public image. However, this latest issue raises questions about the sincerity of these efforts.

Algorithms and Data Surveillance

The research alleges that Meta hasn't abandoned teen ad targeting, but has instead maintained the capabilities of its algorithms to track and target children. This allows the company to continue surveilling children’s online activity and utilizing that data to determine which advertisements they see, ultimately maximizing engagement and increasing ad revenue.

Accusations of Misleading Practices

Meta is accused of failing to implement meaningful changes to protect vulnerable users from manipulative marketing tactics. Critics suggest the company has engaged in a misleading strategy, removing a layer of advertiser control while continuing to track teens through its AI-driven systems.

Meta’s Response and Data Collection

In response to the research, Meta denied using the collected tracking data to personalize ads for individuals under 18. However, the company did not explain why it continues to collect this data in the first place.

Coalition Calls for Transparency

An international coalition of public health organizations, child development groups, human rights advocates, and privacy campaigners has accused Meta of misleading the public and lawmakers. They are demanding greater transparency regarding how teens are targeted on its platforms and a genuine commitment to ending the practice.

Evidence of Algorithm-Driven Optimization

Researchers discovered evidence that advertising on Meta’s platforms is still “optimized” for teens by algorithms. They found that Meta is utilizing surreptitiously gathered information, such as data from tracking pixels, about children’s online behavior to fuel its AI-driven ad targeting.

Contradiction of Previous Announcements

In July, Meta announced changes to advertisers’ ability to target users under 18, stating that targeting would be limited to age, gender, and location. The company claimed it was removing previously available targeting options based on interests or activity on other websites and apps.

The Shift to AI Optimization

The coalition argues that replacing advertiser-selected targeting with machine learning optimization doesn’t represent a genuine improvement for children. They contend that Meta is still using vast amounts of data collected about young people to identify those most susceptible to specific advertisements.

Concerns About Vulnerable Teens

This practice is particularly concerning, as optimization could lead to the delivery of ads for weight loss products to teens struggling with eating disorders, or other ads targeted during moments of emotional vulnerability.

Escalating Concerns Following Whistleblower Revelations

This situation is particularly sensitive following the release of internal documents by whistleblower Frances Haugen, which revealed internal discussions about Instagram’s negative impact on teen mental health.

Regulatory Pressure and Potential Bans

Haugen has provided evidence to lawmakers in Europe and the U.S., contributing to ongoing discussions about digital regulation. The EU is considering legislation that would increase transparency and governance requirements for tech giants, and some MEPs are advocating for an outright ban on surveillance advertising.

Call for an End to “Creepy Surveillance Ads”

The international coalition is calling for a partial end to “creepy surveillance ads,” particularly those targeted at young people.

Broad Support from Advocacy Groups

The letter urging Meta to change its practices is signed by a diverse range of civil society organizations, including Amnesty International USA, Fair Vote UK, and Friends of the Earth.

Haugen’s Testimony and Algorithm Concerns

The coalition’s suspicions were raised by Haugen’s testimony, where she suggested that personalized ads may still be reaching teenagers on Instagram due to the algorithms’ ability to learn correlations and identify users interested in specific content.

Research Methodology and Findings

Researchers analyzed whether Meta continues to track children’s browsing data for ad purposes, focusing on tools like Facebook Pixel and app SPK. They found that Facebook was collecting Facebook Pixel data from accounts registered to children.

Experimental Account Setup

The researchers created three experimental Facebook accounts – one for a 13-year-old and two for 16-year-olds – on “clean browsers” to conduct their analysis.

Data Collection Through Facebook Pixel

By browsing webpages containing an embedded Facebook Pixel while logged into Facebook, the researchers were able to identify data collection related to their test accounts. This data included information about visited pages, clicked buttons, search terms, and purchase activity.

Implications of Data Collection

The researchers argue that the only reason to store this type of conversion data is to fuel the ad delivery system, demonstrating that Meta’s system is still harvesting data from children and teenagers.

Lack of Meaningful Change

The researchers conclude that Meta removing advertisers’ ability to target kids while maintaining tracking for AI-driven targeting does not represent a genuine improvement, and may even be worse than the previous system.

Meta’s Acknowledgment of Harms

The coalition points out that Meta has acknowledged the potential harms of surveillance advertising for children, which is why the company initially took steps to limit how advertisers could reach younger audiences.

Questionable Authenticity of Reforms

If Meta has not actually stopped tracking and targeting children with ads, then this summer’s gesture appears to be another instance of misleading marketing from the company.

Meta’s Response

Meta denied that the tracking data associated with teens’ accounts is used for targeting ads, despite acknowledging that the data is received, stored, and linked to the user.

Concerns About AI-Driven Social Media

Haugen has repeatedly warned that there may be no such thing as safe AI-driven social media for young teens, given the pressures faced by developing brains and the potential for algorithms to exploit mental health vulnerabilities.

Asymmetry of Information and Resentment

The Fairplay report highlights the “huge asymmetry of ability and information” in surveillance advertising, intensifying the manipulation of children. Emerging evidence suggests that children and young people resent being targeted by these ads.

Public Opinion on Targeted Advertising

Recent polls indicate that a significant majority of parents are uncomfortable with businesses tracking their children’s online activity to target ads, and many believe that this practice should be prohibited.

Further Changes to Ad Targeting

Meta recently announced it would no longer allow advertisers to target users based on political beliefs, religion, or sexual orientation. However, the company did not commit to stopping the tracking of user activity and feeding that data to its ad-targeting algorithms.

Maintaining Targeting Capabilities

This suggests that Meta’s internal “reforms” are intended to maintain its ad empire’s intrusive targeting capabilities while shielding the business from accusations of exploitation and harm.