Gambling: when Facebook ads target children
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11 Feb 2026 •
Reading time: 2 minutes Advertisements for gambling using photos of children have recently been circulating on Facebook.
A report that breaks the silence
The alert came from an attentive reader. While browsing his feed, he came across an advertisement that shocked him. He passed it on to an investigative journalist, Michael Schmitt, known for his expertise in digital mechanisms and big business.
The image shows a woman encouraging a child to download a gambling application. The language evokes pocket money, quick rewards and the illusion of a game without consequences. For Schmitt, this is not ordinary advertising, but a dangerous normalisation of gambling mechanisms for a vulnerable audience.
An ethical boundary clearly crossed
What is most disturbing is the repetition of the phenomenon. These ads are not isolated. They reappear regularly, under different accounts, but with identical mechanics: unrealistic promises, exaggerated probabilities, childish aesthetics. Users report them. They sometimes disappear, then come back.
Meta presents itself as a technological intermediary, but its role goes far beyond that. It decides what content is broadcast, to whom, and according to what criteria. The platform’s responsibility is all the greater because it has sophisticated tools for analysing audiences, filtering content and blocking illegal ads. Allowing such ads to pass through is tantamount to admitting a major failure in the application of its own rules.
The distribution of gambling advertisements to children is not just a technical incident: it is an issue of public health, ethics and the protection of minors.
A broken system?
Michael Schmitt concludes with deep concern:
‘If this is what the application of advertising rules looks like in 2026, then something is deeply broken.’
The issue at stake goes far beyond a simple case of inappropriate advertising. It affects the credibility of moderation policies, public trust and the ability of major digital companies to assume their role in society. Protecting children in the digital environment is non-negotiable. It must be a top priority, not in theory, but in practice.