FACEBOOK has apologised after trying to exploit emotionally vulnerable teens.
A leaked document reveals it figured out when kids as young as 14 felt worthless or insecure.
By tracking posts, it could also identify if they were worried about body image or feeling overwhelmed.
The data, shared with advertisers, allowed the social media giant to target them for a “confidence boost”.
But Polly Mackenzie, of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, said: “We’d be very concerned if sites are using mood data to target ads at people based on their mental health.”
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The leak sheds new light on how Facebook uses the vast amount of data it harvests and will raise fresh concerns over privacy.
The 23-page internal document showed the firm was carrying out research on 6.4million young Aussies and New Zealanders. It declined to say if it was doing the same in the UK.
The document says by monitoring posts, messages and snaps, Facebook can work out teens’ emotions — including stressed, defeated, overwhelmed, nervous, stupid, silly, useless and a failure.
Facebook has launched an investigation into the practice and said: “The analysis was to help marketers understand how people express themselves, never to target ads.”
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