According to documents obtained by the Financial Times, Google partnered with Meta on a marketing campaign to promote the Instagram app to YouTube users aged 13 to 17.

This campaign targeted a group of users labeled “unknown” that Google knew were predominantly under the age of 18. This violates Google’s rules against personalizing and targeting ads to children.

The campaign started as Meta looked to attract more young users to compete with TikTok, and Google looked to increase its advertising revenue. The campaign was successfully tested in Canada and the US, with plans to expand internationally.

When contacted by the Financial Times, Google launched an investigation and later canceled the project. Google maintained that it had not broken any rules, but admitted that it had used an “unidentified” group to circumvent the rules.

Meta says it has not broken any rules and adheres to its policies when marketing its apps to young people. However, Meta is facing lawsuits related to the exploitation of minors and has faced criticism from the public and law enforcement.

Cao Phong (according to FT)