Pretentious Promises: The Urgency for Genuine Action in Online Safety

Last month, tech giants Meta, X, Tiktok, Discord, and Snapchat, have been summoned by the US congress for a hearing to address child abuse claims on their social media platforms. Among the plethora of accusations, stood out the tragic effects of youth social media use, shown by instances of suicide that prompted Meta’s Zuckerberg to issue an apology. 

The controversy surrounding social media platforms and their safety concerns are nothing new, and is currently only escalating to its limits. The major social media platforms were accused of cyber abuse of children by exposing “harmful” content to minors, as statistics show “child sex images and videos are more widely available than everThis has called for stronger protections to prevent children’s exposure to inappropriate online content.(Lima-Strong) Amid these accusations, while some CEOs like Zuckerberg have expressed simple remorse, Tiktok CEO Chew and X CEO Yaccarino actively stated that the social media platform does not cater to children.

The arguments from the CEOs may seem valid, citing the vast nature of the platforms and the shared responsibility of parents to monitor youth under 13. However, revelations during the hearing also revealed the blind ignorance of the chief officers towards the child-abuse issue, contradicting their claims. When asked about the proposal of four main federal bills that actively “creates legal liability for apps and social platforms that recommend harmful content to minors”, CEOs of Snap have expressed the company’s support. Yet, none of the tech giants have implemented real actions, and failed repeatedly to protect minors. 

Some advocates have even called out the systemic and design flaw the companies refuse to fix to eliminate threats to youth, for a preference on profit. The excuses and empty vows from the company representatives do not solve the graveness of the situation involving children’s lives, and it is imperative to hold them accountable for safeguarding their young users. It is essential for preventative measures to be forced upon without the social media companies’ active support, and stringent regulations to be put in place.