Meta has made changes to ad experiences to make their apps more age-appropriate for teens. When compared to adults, teens might not be properly equipped to make decisions on how online data is used for advertising, especially when products that are available to purchase are shown. Thereby, Meta has imposed further restrictions for advertisers when targeting teens including information that is shown to them. In Sri Lanka, advertisers should be mindful and aware about the new ad experience when running their ads targeting teenagers that fall between the ages 13-17. 

Teen-specific controls and resources will be introduced by Meta to help them understand how the algorithm works when it comes to ads. 

The changes Meta has made when advertising for teenagers:

1. Remove targeting based on interests and activities
2. Remove gender as an option for advertisers 

Therefore, the only data available to advertisers about teens using Meta platforms would be their age and location to reach them. The objective of implementing the above is to ensure that teens see ads which are suitable for their age and to show the relevant products and services that are available where they live.

Giving teens more control

In the coming few months, teens will be given more control over the ads they see on Facebook and Instagram. They will be able to go to Ad preferences in Settings on apps and choose to “See Less” or “No Preference” to control the types of ads that appear on the feed. ‍

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For more resources:

New Privacy Page on Meta about the tools and privacy settings: Link

Teen Privacy Center about how teens can manage their privacy across Meta’s apps: Link

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Do reach out to us at fb@roar.global if any support on Meta advertising is needed.