A growing movement in the United States is advocating for stronger social media safeguards for children, fueled by recent jury verdicts against major tech companies and increasing international restrictions. While the U.S. has lagged behind countries like Australia and Indonesia in implementing outright bans for minors, a significant push for regulation is gaining traction in Congress.
Recent landmark jury decisions against Meta and Google have galvanized proponents of online child safety. Evidence presented in these cases has shed light on the internal workings of tech companies, with some employees reportedly comparing their products to addictive substances. These verdicts have offered a potential pathway to hold tech firms accountable, bypassing some protections previously afforded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content. Lawsuits are now focusing on companies' deliberate design choices rather than the content itself.
Legislation efforts in the U.S. have progressed slowly. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, enacted in 2000, requires parental consent for collecting personal data from children under 13. More recently, a bipartisan deal in the House, the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, includes elements of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which passed the Senate in 2024. However, critics argue that a key provision, the "duty of care" requiring companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm, has been removed.
Advocates emphasize a three-pronged approach involving legislation, litigation, and education. This strategy aims to maintain pressure on companies even if legislative efforts stall. Despite some new safety features introduced by platforms, such as teen accounts with restricted content and parental controls, child safety advocates maintain that fundamental incentives to maximize user engagement remain unchanged.
Parents like Kristin Bride and Amy Neville, who lost their teenage sons due to harms linked to social media use, have become central figures in this advocacy. Their sons, Carson Bride and Alexander Neville, died in 2020 from separate incidents involving cyberbullying and drug-related harm facilitated through social media platforms. They were among hundreds of young people honored on Social Media Victims Remembrance Day, an occasion marked annually since 2024 by a Senate resolution.
Senators have voiced support for stronger measures, with some calling for the repeal of Section 230 and others urging a more aggressive stance against tech companies. The Senate Judiciary Committee has invited the CEOs of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok, and Snap to testify at an upcoming hearing on children's safety, drawing parallels to the tobacco industry's past struggles with public accountability in its hearing title: "Is This Social Media’s Big Tobacco Moment?"
Representatives for Meta, YouTube, and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Snap stated that it continuously works to enhance safety protections on its platform. Child advocates continue to stress the urgency of the issue, noting that lives remain at stake while the debate over regulation continues.