Meta will cover up the suicide and eating disorder content in teens because of government pressure
The Online Safety Act: Teen Content Hiding on Social Networks and the Meta-Website, a State of the Art Testified before a House Committee
Teens can see changes when using the two social networks. On Tuesday, it was announced that it would start hiding certain types of content on both the app and the website. These changes are for all teens under 18.
Teens will be able to hide content in sensitive categories on teen accounts, as well as have their settings changed to make them less interested in certain kinds of content on social media. The change affects recommended posts in Search and Explore that can be sensitive or low-quality, and will force Meta to set all teen accounts to the most stringent settings.
Meta has failed to make it’s platform safer for kids despite knowing the damage it does, Bejar testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. His testimony came two years after Haugen detailed similar findings in the Facebook Papers.
Legislators are willing to regulate the internet in order to protect kids from certain legal content, like things related to suicide or eating disorders. For years, teens’ feeds have been reported to be flooded with harmful content. But blocking all material besides what platforms deem trustworthy and acceptable could prevent young people from accessing other educational or support resources.
The Online Safety Act lays out a goal of making the UK “the safest place in the world to be online” — but the law has had vocal critics who say it could violate user privacy. The encrypted messaging app Signal, for example, has said it would leave the UK rather than collect more data that could jeopardize user privacy.
How to Tell Your Teens Whether You’re Using Social Media to Admit Adversarise? A Comment on the Cases of Meta and Blumenthal
In October, a group of more than 40 states filed lawsuits against Meta, accusing them of designing their social media products to be addictive. Their lawsuits rely on evidence from Facebook whistleblowers Arturo Bejar and Frances Haugen.
The move came as a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers, led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., amped up their campaign to get the Kids Online Safety Act passed as quickly as possible. Tech companies would be held responsible for feeding teens toxic content if the legislation passes.
Twenge, who has consulted for lawmakers in their suits against Meta, says teens have experienced higher incidences of depression, negative body issues and bullying because of social media. Teenagers who use social media frequently are more likely to be depressed or to harm themselves than light users, according to a new study.
A spokeswoman for Meta admitted it was possible for people to exaggerate their ages on social media. She told NPR that the company is investing in tools and technology that can better detect when users lie about their age.
“You do not need parental permission to sign up for a social media account,” Twenge says. “You check a box saying that you’re 13, or you choose a different birth year and, boom, you’re on.”
Jean Twenge, author of the book Generations and a psychology professor at San Diego State University, said that this is a step in the right direction, but that it still is hard to police teenagers who are on social media.
Meta is under fire from child safety advocacy groups and faces dozens of state lawsuits as well as possible federal legislation to make it safer for kids on its social networks.
“Now, when people search for terms related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, we’ll start hiding these related results and will direct them to expert resources for help,” Meta stated in a blog post.
Social media platform Meta has announced that teens will be able to hide content in sensitive categories on their accounts. They will also be able to have their settings changed to make them less Interested in certain kinds of content on social media. The change affects recommended posts in Search and Explore that can be sensitive or low-quality.