Brief
Meta teen settlement changes how ads reach under-18s
A late-August US state settlement requires age assurance, time caps, and a non-personalized feed for teens. Advertisers can no longer treat teen inventory like adult targeting.
Why it matters. YA and new-adult campaigns on Facebook and Instagram will see different delivery, less behavioural targeting, and fewer ways to message teens.
AdExchanger’s 15 September advertiser briefing on Meta’s settlement with US states — approved by a federal judge in late August, with a reported $17–18 billion payout over ten years — is the practical read for buyers. The settlement requires Meta to use age-assurance technology instead of self-declared age, limit time on platform for younger users, and offer a non-personalized feed. AdExchanger says teens then see ads based on the content in view, not on past behaviour.
The same write-up says teen accounts are private, adults cannot contact teens unless already connected, autoplay is off by default, and school-hours and night caps apply. None of that is a new Facebook Ads Manager button for book ads. It is a constraint: if your reader is 16, the auction you used for 35-year-old romance buyers will not behave the same. Keep adult targeting on adult accounts; do not try to recreate lookalikes off teen engagement.