Responding to reports that Meta has reached a settlement of approximately $18 billion, with 47 US states and committed to specific safety-oriented design changes on its social media apps over claims that its platforms caused harms to children, Amnesty International USA’s Deputy Director of Research, Justin Mazzola, said:
“The settlement is a turning point not just for Meta, but all social media. Social media platforms must now change how they operate and fix their harmful features to protect children and young people.
“For years, Amnesty International, civil society and harmed individuals have warned that major social media platforms have been designed to maximize engagement and profit, while failing to adequately protect children’s rights.
“We welcome that Meta has proposed, in the settlement, to make changes to the design of its platforms, as we know addictive features of social media can drive harm to children online. But the changes stop short of a fully safe and rights-respecting platform. For instance, hyper personalized feeds, which Amnesty research has demonstrated can be extremely harmful for children, will remain switched on by default.
Amnesty International USA’s Deputy Director of Research, Justin Mazzola
