Meta Is Failing Kids. Lawmakers Are Failing Them, Too.

The creators of social media platforms have relentlessly pursued child customers and have ignored the technology’s harmful effects. Or so argue tech whistleblowers and at least some members of Congress.

In late November, court filings were unsealed that include salacious details, such as Meta requiring more than 17 human trafficking attempts before flagging an account, something verified by multiple company sources. The plaintiffs are more than 1,800 parents, school districts, teachers, states and attorneys general. They argue that the parent companies behind Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube “relentlessly pursued a strategy of growth at all costs, recklessly ignoring the impact of their products on children’s mental and physical health.”