Google and Meta’s Secret Pact: Exploiting Teenagers for Profit

Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP -

When tech giants secretly conspire to target your kids, the question isn’t whether they crossed the line — it’s how far they’ll go to stay profitable and when society will say 'Enough!'.

Google and Meta, typically fierce competitors, formed a covert alliance to target teenagers with ads for Instagram on YouTube, deliberately sidestepping Google’s own rules against advertising to minors.

Documents reveal that both companies exploited a loophole, targeting a user group labeled "unknown," which skewed heavily towards under-18s. The collaboration, designed to lure more young users to Instagram amidst competition from TikTok, highlights how even the most powerful platforms prioritize profit over ethics.

Despite Google’s claims of adhering to its ad policies, this secret project raises critical questions about the true extent of corporate responsibility. Can we trust these tech behemoths to safeguard the most vulnerable, or is regulation the only answer?

Read the full article on Financial Times.

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