This past summer, Facebook announced that it would tweak its rules to limit how advertisers could reach kids. However, according to new research from several advocacy organizations, the social media giant continues to track teens for ad targeting purposes.

“While Facebook says it will no longer allow advertisers to selectively target teenagers, it appears Facebook itself continues to target teens, only now with the power of AI,” the group of advocacy organizations wrote in a letter. “Facebook is still using the vast amount of data it collects about young people in order to determine which children are most likely to be vulnerable to a given ad.”

According to experts, this practice is concerning because it means that teens undergoing crises such as eating disorders could be served ads for weight loss products. In general, these young users could be targeted based on when their moods suggest they are vulnerable — a dangerous situation for Facebook to be taking advantage of.

For its part, Facebook said that it isn’t using this data to personalize ads. However, the company also didn’t reveal why it is still collecting this information. As usual, it’s best to be skeptical of Facebook’s motives — and it’s good that these advocacy groups are stepping up to hold it accountable.

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