Last month, Meta announced that it was taking further steps to limit the ways in which advertisers can target teens.  Meta said that it was making the move because, "We recognize that teens aren't necessarily as equipped as adults to make decisions about how their online data is used for advertising, particularly when it comes to showing them products available to purchase."  

These changes to Meta's ad tageting policy mean that, starting in February, advertisers can no longer target teens on Facebook and Instagram based on their gender.  In addition, the way that teens engage with posts on Facebook and Instagram also won't affect the types of ads that they see.  

Now, advertisers are only permitted to use age and location to target teens on these platforms.  Meta explained, "Age and location help us continue to ensure teens see ads that are meant for their age and products and services available where they live." 

In mid-2021, Facebook announced that it would limit ad targeting options for teens to age, gender, and locations.  Before that time, advertisers were able to target teens based on interests and online activity.

This move comes as we're seeing increasing attention paid to teen's use of social media.  U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recent made news when he said that he believes that age 13 is "too early" for teens to be using social media.