Meta is currently defending its child safety efforts in a California federal court against a series of lawsuits that allege its social media platforms contribute to harms against children and teenagers. The company contends it has a long history of protecting its youngest users, while critics assert that its safety record falls short and its implemented protections are ineffective.
In the ongoing legal proceedings, four states are seeking billions of dollars in damages and fundamental changes to how Meta operates its platforms, Instagram and Facebook. The core allegations suggest that Meta deliberately and covertly designed features intended to hook children on its services, thereby exacerbating the youth mental health crisis. Paul Schmidt, a lawyer representing Meta, stated in opening remarks that issues concerning children's mental health and their online experiences are taken seriously by the company and are acted upon.
However, figures like Marc Berkman, executive director at the Organization for Social Media Safety, argue that Meta's introduction of safeguards was a response to public pressure rather than genuine concern, indicating a "lack of real institutional willingness to act here."
Meta's Introduced Safeguards
Most of Meta's introduced changes have centered on addressing harassment and offensive content. Instagram users have long been able to block others, and both Instagram and Facebook have added features for reporting problematic accounts and inappropriate content. Since 2016, Instagram users have had the option to filter or delete offensive comments. More recently, warnings have been implemented to prompt users to reconsider potentially harmful content before posting, alongside options to limit comments and tags.
Meta also states that it prevents adults from initiating private chats with teens if they are not already connected. The company has reportedly increased its checks to ensure users under the age of 13, the minimum age for an account, are not active on its platforms. Schmidt acknowledged that some users may provide incorrect birthdates but affirmed that Meta takes the enforcement of age limits seriously.
Furthermore, Meta reports posting warnings and resources at the top of Instagram search results concerning suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders. The company also highlights its "Teen Accounts," launched in 2024, as a secure online space for teenagers, aligning photo and video restrictions with PG-13 movie ratings unless parental consent allows otherwise.
Criticisms of Meta's Efforts
Critics, including a September 2025 report by former employee and whistleblower Arturo Béjar and four online safety advocacy nonprofits, accuse Meta of prioritizing "splashy headlines about new tools" over substantive action. The report claimed Meta has not taken "real steps" to address youth safety. Haley Hinkle, policy counsel at Fairplay, a co-author of the report, stated that their evaluation of 47 of Meta's 53 safety features for teens on Instagram found 60% were either unavailable or did not perform as advertised. Meta has refuted these findings as "misleading" and "dangerously speculative."
Researchers also question the effectiveness of Meta's efforts to mitigate the addictive nature of social media features. Ashley Shea, a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University specializing in social media, pointed to "attention-capture deceptive designs" such as infinite scrolling, "casino style" refresh mechanisms, push notifications, and algorithmic recommendations. Shea argues these features exploit the cognitive vulnerabilities of young people whose brains are still developing, particularly their need for reward.
While Shea acknowledges Meta's steps to address problematic content, cyberbullies, and sexual predators, she has not observed a comparable effort to counteract the addictive impact of these design features. Meta's time management tools, including parental controls and in-app "nudges" for teens spending excessive time on the apps, are cited by Meta as evidence of its progress, though Hinkle describes them as "entirely voluntary," not easy to set up, and "far too little too late."
Béjar testified that a "Take a Break" feature is "designed to fail" because users must manually activate it, and few reportedly do.
Industrywide Implications
Industry observers suggest that social media platforms, including Meta's, are designed to maximize user engagement and, consequently, revenue. Berkman noted that for most platforms today, this means keeping children using their features for extended periods. The current legal challenges, which focus on platforms being "defective products by design," represent a novel approach, according to Shea. The increasing pressure on lawmakers, coupled with litigation, is seen as a potential catalyst for broader industrywide changes, as companies are likely to respond to economic pressures.
"The momentum only continues to grow," Shea said. "Ultimately, these are for-profit companies that respond to economic pressures. And so I think that the more economic pressure they’re confronted with through these litigations, the quicker they will have to adapt."