Are you concerned about your child watching suspicious or false advertisements on Facebook? If this is the case, then know that you are not the only one with such a concern. There is some good news. You can take control of your kid’s devices to ensure a healthy digital environment. Thus, this guide will help you learn how to block ads on the Facebook app with simple yet powerful techniques, including adjusting Facebook ad preferences, blocking specific advertisers, and employing advanced parental control applications.
With the correct measures put in, you will be able to ensure that your child does not come across harmful materials. Thus providing them with a better and safer Facebook experience. So keep reading!
What are Facebook ads?
Facebook ads are promotional posts created by advertisers and businesses usually pay Facebook. When scrolling through Facebook, you usually see various Friends and family posts. Sometimes, advertisements pop up. They are commonly known as Facebook ads and are specially designed to capture your attention.
You look through these ads since companies want to promote their products. Facebook analyzes everything that you love, view, and comment on. For instance, if you love footwear, then you are likely to see ads featuring the latest trendy sneakers. On the other hand, if you relish fast food, then chances are you will see ads for pizzerias in your vicinity.
Facebook ads can be in the form of photos, videos, or hyperlinks. A few ads request that the viewer visit a specific website, sign up for a newsletter, or make a purchase. Businesses do not force you to click, but more often than not, they desire your attention.
Whenever a business is looking to sell something, Facebook bids on it and showcases the advertisements to interested users. Although ads may not be appealing, their primary job is to enhance business sales while catering to your interests.
Are Facebook ads dangerous for kids?
Nowadays, Facebook is something that everyone uses, including children. While using the platform they may come across various ads such as:
- Sponsored posts, which integrate organic content seamlessly into user feeds.
- Autoplay video ads, which run between content in the family-friendly platform.
- Sponsored content aimed at kids from big brands.
Brands tailor-make these ads to market themselves towards people.
➔ Risks of Facebook ads for kids
Inappropriate Content: Gambling, alcohol, and explicit advertisements are inappropriate for children. In principle, Facebook has preventive measures in place to minimize them, however, they still manage to leak through the system.
Manipulation of Marketing: Facebook is known to use animating advertisement designs, bright colors and engaging words. Children are more vulnerable to sensitive marketing stunts and would unwillingly fall into the trap of seductive ads.
Privacy and Data Collection: A significant number of children ads accessible on the Internet tend to follow users in order to animate them in the future to interact with them. By clicking on the ad, children would unwillingly give away their personal information, which allows marketers to plan ads aimed at children.
Fraud and Nonexistent Offers: Certain advertisements endorse nonexistent giveaways as well as malicious applications and products that would lure children into sharing sensitive information or downloading useless programs. Because younger children don’t have the tools to identify scams, they are far more likely to become victims of one.
Encouragement of Excessive Spending: Advertisements frequently promote purchases through in-app purchases, games, or services that require payment. Children may be coerced into buying such items or subscriptions without fully grasping the consequences.
In short, I must say that even though there are many positive aspects of Facebook advertisements, negative impacts will follow if sufficient caution is not taken. So, parents should assist children in distinguishing misleading advertisements or skipping dubious URLs. Moreover, you should also take appropriate privacy measures for smoother and safer interactions on the Internet.
Facebook safety for every kids.
How the parents to block ads on Facebook app?
Facebook has a large number of ads, some of which might not be suitable for your kids. As a parent, you want to ensure your child is not exposed to harmful or misleading content while navigating the internet. In this section, we’ll suggest different methods to accomplish this task, so be with us!
Method 1: Using Facebook’s ad preferences settings
Facebook lets you control the type of ads being displayed to your child. This can be done by changing Ad Preference settings on Facebook.
Access Facebook ad preferences
- Get the Facebook app on your kid’s smartphone.
- Tap on the Menu button (three parallel lines), which is usually located at the upper lower right side of the screen.
- Locate Settings & Privacy, then tap on Settings.
- You may need to scroll down until you reach the Permissions section. From there, tap Ad Preferences.
Control ad topics and advertisers
- Next, click Ad Topics to check the topics Facebook uses to advertise.
- Moreover, you choose Hide Ads from This Advertiser for any that will be aimed at your child that you want to eliminate.
Prevent advertisers from monitoring your child
- Now, return to Ad Preferences and then hit Ad Settings.
- Locate Data About Your Activity and click the checkbox for “Allow Facebook to Use Data from Partner” off.
- In Categories Used to Reach You, remove all personal data like age, interests, and location.
Result: Facebook will now limit the number of targeted ads, so your child will see fewer advertisements related to their interests or browsing habits.
Method 2: Blocking ads from specific advertisers
In case your child is frequently exposed to a particular brand, you can choose to block that advertiser on your own.
Locate the advert you wish to block
- If you see an inappropriate ad, you need to press the three dots on the right hand on the top section of the ad.
- Select Why am I seeing this ad?
Block the advertiser
- Facebook will tell you why the ad was shown and who paid for it.
- Tap Hide Ads from This Advertiser to make sure they don’t appear again.
Report or hide more ads
In the scenario that an ad appears as unsafe or misleading, tap Report Ad and pick a reason from the given options like “It’s inappropriate for kids.” But if you simply wish to reduce the number of such ads, then tap Hide Ad.
Method 3: Use parental control apps to block ads on Facebook
If you wish to go a step further in managing content, FlashGet Kids is a parental control application offering the best solution. The application filters undesirable content, hence preventing your child from being exposed to dangerous content. So, let’s see how it limits exposure to inappropriate content.
Screen mirroring: Owing to this feature, you can see in real-time what type of content your kids are exploring on Facebook. Thus, if you see inappropriate ads popping up, then you can take timely action.
Keyword detection: With this feature, you can set keywords related to inappropriate content on different social media apps, including Facebook. Thus, you’ll get instant alerts if your kids receive inappropriate content.
App blocker: There is a possibility that your kids may download harmful apps via Facebook ads. However, FlashGet kids restrict your kids from using such apps without your permission. As you can manage the app list by forbidden permission to new apps.
As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that your child does not have to deal with inappropriate ads on Facebook. Thankfully, you can take the following steps at any given time. Moreover, you must occasionally inspect advertisement settings and engage your child in a conversation on safety to best ensure protection.
Additional tips for enhancing Facebook safety for kids
You don’t want your child browsing on Facebook unsupervised, and there are a few tricks that you can do to keep them protected. By putting restrictions, monitoring their behaviour, and changing privacy settings, you make it more difficult for them to get into trouble while using the app. Find out how you can achieve this below.
i) Control Facebook’s time usage with screen time limits:
You need to take responsibility for controlling the amount of time your child spends on Facebook because it can be detrimental to their concentration, rest, and overall health. Therefore, limit the amount of time that they spend on the platform. With the use of FlashGet Kids, you can set daily Facebook usage limits. You can also restrict access during school hours and bedtime, helping children concentrate on essential activities, enhancing sleep quality, and minimizing online time.
ii) Oversee friend requests, messages, and other activity
You will never know who might be trying to connect with your child on Facebook. Strangers can send messages and friend requests, and some ads can lead them to dangerous websites. For this reason, you must monitor their activity. So, through FlashGet Kids, you can monitor what they are clicking on, who they are talking to, and what kind of content is being displayed to them. This guarantees that they are not being exposed to any harmful content.
iii) Setting up privacy and security settings
You certainly don’t want just anyone browsing your child’s Facebook profile and posts. The privacy settings need to be adjusted accordingly. Start by making your child’s account private to secure their Facebook account.
Moreover, set posts, stories, and friend requests to friends only under the settings. Next, limit the messages by changing the Message Delivery setting.
For additional protection, enable Login Alerts and Two Factor Authentication under Security and Login.
Besides, you must teach your child the importance of being careful with their private information. By taking these steps, you help your child maintain a safer Facebook account as it minimizes risks from unfamiliar users, unsolicited advertisements, and security issues.
Conclusion
It’s always a priority to restrict your child from harmful or misleading advertisements on Facebook, and it is relatively easy to do. With certain changes on Facebook, you can control what types of ads get shown to your child. Moreover, utilizing parental control applications such as FlashGet Kids filters out advertisements while restricting screen time, which adds an additional layer of security. The more you manage these settings, the safer your child’s experience is online. Thus, I must say that it’s possible to customize Facebook for your child’s protection with adequate supervision and the proper tools.
