Study: Half of Social Media Child Safety Features Fail to Work
Researchers from NYU and Northeastern University found that at least half of child safety features on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube do not deliver on their promises. Testing 86 features, each platform had a failure rate exceeding 50%.
A study by researchers at New York University and Northeastern University claims that at least half of the safety features designed to protect children on social media platforms are ineffective. Published by Heat Initiative and Cybersafety Research Center, the study tested 86 features across Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
The researchers created dummy accounts to mimic children of various ages and adults, examining three scenarios: a child using the platform normally, a teen trying to bypass safety features, and a malicious adult attempting to circumvent protections. A feature was considered a failure if it was difficult to find in settings, did not function as described, or was missing entirely.
Key findings included Snapchat allowing adult accounts to search for, find, and message child accounts with no restrictions. On Instagram, a teen account could message an adult they did not follow without any warnings. TikTok suggested anorexia-related searches to teen accounts.
Spokespeople for Snap, Meta, and YouTube contested the findings, but the New York Times was able to replicate the study's results. A Meta spokesperson stated that Instagram's Teen Accounts have reduced sensitive content exposure, unwanted contact, and nighttime usage. Beyond this study, social media companies face lawsuits and countries are pursuing bans for children, with Australia recently doubling its maximum penalty for non-compliance.
