Facebook has strict policies regarding who can run advertisements on their platform. There are age restrictions in place to comply with laws and regulations around advertising to minors. So can someone under the age of 18 run Facebook ads? Let’s take a closer look at Facebook’s ad policies.
Facebook’s Ad Policies
According to Facebook’s Advertising Policies, you must be at least 18 years old to advertise on Facebook. Here is an excerpt from their policies:
You must be 18 years or older to use Facebook’s advertising products. This includes creating ad accounts, ads and Pages. We require advertisers to certify that they are 18 or older.
So right away we can see that Facebook does not allow users under 18 to run ads on their platform. This age restriction applies to creating ad accounts, placing ads, and creating Facebook Pages used for advertising purposes.
Why the Age Restriction?
There are a few reasons why Facebook enforces an 18+ age policy for advertising:
- Complying with laws – Many countries have laws restricting marketing and advertising that targets children under 18. Facebook’s age policy helps them comply with these laws across multiple countries.
- Protecting minors – Facebook wants to protect young users on their platform from inappropriate or exploitative advertising. Requiring advertisers to be adults helps achieve this goal.
- Maturity of advertisers – Running ads on a platform like Facebook requires a level of business maturity and marketing knowledge. Facebook prefers advertisers to be legal adults who understand compliance and ethics when running ads.
So in summary, the age restriction aims to follow laws regarding ads to minors, protect young Facebook users, and ensure a reasonable level of maturity and responsibility among advertisers.
Exceptions
While the general policy is that you must be 18+ to advertise on Facebook, there are some exceptions:
- Pages for brands/businesses – Minors can create Facebook Pages representing established brands, businesses, organizations, or public figures. However, they still cannot advertise or boost posts from these Pages.
- Fundraisers – Users under 18 can create fundraisers for nonprofits and charitable causes on Facebook. But other forms of advertising remain prohibited.
So teens under 18 do have some limited options when it comes to creating Pages and fundraisers on Facebook. But all traditional forms of advertising, including boosted posts, remain locked until they turn 18.
Enforcement
Facebook takes active steps to enforce their 18+ advertising policy. Here are some of the ways they detect and take action against underage advertisers:
- Requesting proof of age – Facebook may ask advertisers to provide legal proof they are over 18 such as a driver’s license.
- Disabling ads – Ads and ad accounts belonging to confirmed underage users will be disabled and prohibited from advertising.
- Removing content – Pages and posts used for advertising by minors may be removed for policy violation.
- Banning users – Repeated violations may result in Facebook banning the underage user from their service altogether.
In addition to automated screening, Facebook also relies on user reports to help identify advertisers who are under the allowed age. Users can report ads or Pages they believe are run by minors.
Consequences of Violating the Policy
Beyond having ads disabled and accounts banned, here are some further consequences that can happen if you are caught advertising underage on Facebook:
- Wasted ad spend – Any money spent on ads will be forfeited, as underage ads are prohibited.
- Legal issues – Running ads as a minor could potentially lead to legal trouble depending on the situation.
- Banned from future advertising – Getting banned for underage advertising may prevent you from advertising on Facebook entirely even after turning 18.
Advertising under 18 puts a Facebook user at risk of losing any money spent, gaining legal issues, and being unable to use Facebook advertising in the future even as an adult. It is a violation of their terms that is taken very seriously.
Tips for Teens & Parents
For teens under 18 interested in marketing, here are some tips to participate safely and legally on Facebook:
- Create content without ads – Post organically without running ads until you are 18.
- Focus on building an audience – Grow your followers without paid advertising.
- Use a parent’s account – Have a parent review and manage advertising if needed.
- Wait until 18 – Participate in discussions but hold off on advertising efforts until you come of age.
And tips for parents of teens wanting to advertise:
- Closely monitor their activity – Review their ad accounts and content frequently.
- Limit or restrict access – Disable advertising features until they are mature enough.
- Advertise on their behalf – Oversee and fund advertising using your own accounts.
- Teach ad ethics – Discuss legal, ethical, and maturity issues around advertising.
Alternative Social Platforms
For teens determined to begin advertising and marketing before age 18, some alternative social platforms do allow it with parental consent. These include:
- YouTube – Allows advertising accounts for 13+ with parent approval.
- TikTok – Permits advertising for 16+ with parental consent.
- Snapchat – Minimum age of 13 for ads with verified parental oversight.
However, the same precautions and lessons around ethics and maturity still apply on these platforms. Parental monitoring is highly recommended if allowing teens to advertise.
Educational Opportunities
Although Facebook advertising itself requires users to be 18+, teens still have many educational opportunities to learn:
- Facebook Blueprint – Free online training courses in ads and marketing.
- High school marketing classes – Learn advertising basics.
- Business camps & majors – Summer programs and college majors in marketing.
- Internships – Gain experience assisting marketing teams and advertisers.
- Affiliate programs – Earn commissions promoting brands through affiliate links.
Through classes, camps, internships, affiliate programs, and Facebook’s own educational resources, teens can start building valuable skills and knowledge before turning 18 and running ads themselves.
The Verdict
In conclusion, here are the key points to remember:
- You must be 18+ to create an ad account or advertise on Facebook due to their policies.
- The age restriction aims to protect minors and comply with advertising laws.
- Teens can still create organic Pages and fundraisers with limitations.
- Violating the policy may lead to lost ad spend, legal issues, and permanent advertising bans.
- With parental oversight, alternative platforms like YouTube allow some teen advertising.
- But educational opportunities are plentiful for teens to learn advertising skills before 18.
While advertising on Facebook itself requires reaching adulthood, determined and responsible teens can still find avenues to begin building their marketing knowledge safely and legally.
| Platform | Minimum Ad Age |
|---|---|
| 18 | |
| YouTube | 13 with parental consent |
| TikTok | 16 with parental consent |
| Snapchat | 13 with verified parental oversight |
Educational Opportunities for Teens
- Facebook Blueprint courses
- High school marketing classes
- Summer business camps
- College marketing majors
- Internships at marketing firms
- Affiliate marketing programs
Consequences of Violating Facebook’s Ad Policies
- Lost advertising spend
- Legal issues
- Permanent ban from Facebook advertising
Conclusion
While advertising on Facebook before the age of 18 is prohibited by their policies, teens have plenty of safe and legal ways to start building marketing knowledge. With patience and parental guidance, aspiring young marketers can get a head start on their education and be prepared to begin advertising upon becoming adults. Facebook’s age policies aim to protect them as minors while allowing room to learn the fundamentals.