European regulators are probing a secret advertising partnership between Google and Meta that allegedly bypassed Google’s rules on targeting minors. The European Commission is reviewing ad campaigns that promoted Instagram to teens on YouTube, following a Financial Times investigation in August.
In October, regulators asked Alphabet, Google’s parent company, to provide internal documents related to the campaigns, including emails and data, collected during Google’s internal investigation, code-named “Tangerine Owl.” These materials were presented to the commission, which is now deciding whether to take further action.
The campaign in question targeted teenagers through YouTube by using an “unknown” user group, which internal data indicated was largely underage. Google employees reportedly told Meta that this approach “hacked” the system’s audience safeguards. The campaign, initially launched in Canada, was later expanded to the US, but was canceled after the FT report.
In response, Google has reinforced its policies with staff and restricted targeting of the “unknown” group to users aged 18-24. “We have industry-leading safeguards to protect teens,” Google stated.
While the investigation continues, Google has become more cautious about collaborating with Meta on youth-targeted campaigns. Despite this, Meta remains a major advertiser, and both companies still work together on various campaigns across platforms.
Meta and Google are under increasing regulatory pressure. Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, apologized in January for child exploitation issues on his platforms. Meanwhile, Google faces multiple antitrust cases, with a ruling expected later this year on its digital advertising practices.
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