Dec 10 (Reuters) - European regulators have asked Google

for more information about its now-scrapped secret advertising

partnership with Instagram-parent Meta Platforms ( META ) that ignored

the search company's rules on how minors should be treated

online, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

An FT investigation revealed in August how Google helped

Meta in a secret marketing project targeting 13- to 17-year-olds

who use YouTube, owned by Google-parent Alphabet, to

promote Meta's Instagram.

The partnership, which expanded to the U.S. and was to go

global, has since been scrapped, FT said.

Nonetheless, European Commission officials have been looking

into the partnership and have sent collated information to

regulators who are weighing on whether to act, the latest FT

report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

In October, the officials ordered Alphabet's lawyers to

gather and review data, presentations, internal chats and emails

related to the ad campaigns, the report said.

"The safeguards we have to protect teens, like prohibiting

ad personalization, are industry leading and continue to work,"

a Google spokesperson said in an email.

The company has held updated internal training to ensure its

sales teams remain aware of policies and technical protections,

the spokesperson said.

Meta, which also owns Facebook, and the European Commission

did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Google restricts ad-targeting based on the age, gender or

interests of people under 18.

Earlier this year, Meta rolled out enhanced privacy and

parental controls for Instagram accounts of users under 18 in a

significant overhaul aimed at addressing growing concerns about

the negative effects of social media.