‘Safety Illusion’: Social Media Tools Failing to Protect Children From Online Harm, Study Finds
Child safeguarding concerns are growing as new research suggests that safety features on major social media platforms can fail to adequately protect children and teenagers from harmful content, unwanted contact and excessive screen time.
Researchers from New York University and Northeastern University tested safety measures promoted by Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. They found that some safeguards were missing, difficult to locate, broken or easily bypassed.
The research found that Snapchat could allow adults to send connection requests to children they did not know, while teen accounts were reportedly recommended unknown adults. On Instagram, researchers found teen accounts could be shown suggestions for profiles that appeared to belong to adult men.
The researchers also identified weaknesses in time-limit features. On YouTube, for example, a teenager who reached a 60-minute viewing limit could reportedly choose to ignore the restriction or change the limit.
Safeguards intended to prevent children from finding harmful material related to self-harm and eating disorders could also reportedly be bypassed by making minor changes to search terms.
The findings raise questions about whether platforms’ child safety commitments are translating into effective protection in children’s everyday online experiences.
For child protection advocates, the issue extends beyond parental supervision. Children should not have to identify and navigate broken safeguards themselves when platforms have designed those systems to protect them.
The research highlights the need for stronger age-appropriate protections, effective moderation, meaningful parental controls and independent testing of safety features.
Protecting children online requires more than safety labels and promises. Safeguards must work consistently, be difficult to circumvent and respond effectively to the risks children encounter.
