Meta allegedly turned to parenting influencers to soften its image on child safety amid criticism over its platform’s influence on minors, according to a new report.
The Tech Transparency Project (TTP), an American research hub, argues that Meta’s promotion of its Instagram “Teen Accounts” was part of a broader effort to influence the public conversation around platform accountability.
The report alleged that the company cultivated a network of hundreds of online creators and so-called “momfluencers” by inviting them to curated events promoting the new accounts.
Influencers then repeated the company's talking points to their followers with some disclosures or hashtags indicating a paid partnership, the report said.
The report comes after Meta lost several US lawsuits alleging it failed to protect minors on its platforms. One case, filed by Raul Torrez, New Mexico’s Attorney General, alleged that Meta also failed to protect children from sexual exploitation.
