Protecting children is much more important.
Google’s Alphabet Inc. will improve enforcement of its underage-sensitive advertising policy immediately after there are ads featuring sex toys, alcohol and high-risk investments in its search engines.
Last September, the United Kingdom (UK) enacted rules to protect children from being detected online and in response, Google has screened content displayed in European countries for users under the age of 18.
However, recently Reuters, an international news agency company, found that the ads displayed on Google were contrary to their efforts to comply with the rules introduced in the UK.
Reuters also found ads shown in the UK to consumers who had logged out last week featured leveraged trades, cholesterol drugs, adult toy retailers and major grocery stores promoting vodka products.
Technology companies face major challenges in ensuring the content displayed complies with regulations in force in the UK.
Facebook’s Meta Platfroms Inc. and Microsoft Corp. also ban many categories of underage -sensitive ads or place a responsibility on advertisers to target their ads in ways that limit exposure to minors.
