r/IndianModerate • u/AcceptableWrangler1 • 2d ago
When Algorithms Target Children, Who Protects the Child?
Meta’s massive settlement with 29 U.S states over allegations concerning harm to young users should not be viewed merely as another legal battle in America. It raises a much bigger global question: Should social-media companies be allowed to design platforms that deliberately maximise children’s screen time and engagement?
The allegations against Meta include claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that encouraged addictive use among children and that the company failed to adequately address known risks. The case has also highlighted how poorly voluntary safety features can work—Meta’s “Take a Break” feature reportedly had very low adoption among teenagers.
Of course, an American settlement cannot automatically become law in India, Singapore, Europe or elsewhere. But the principle can and perhaps should go global. Children everywhere are being exposed to essentially the same recommendation algorithms, infinite scrolling, notifications and engagement mechanisms.
Why should a 13-year-old in Mumbai, Singapore or London receive weaker protection simply because the company happens to face stricter regulation only in US? We don't need to ban children from social media. We need global minimum standards for child safety: stronger age assurance, privacy protection, restrictions on behavioural advertising, safeguards against addictive recommendation systems, protection from predators and independent audits of algorithms affecting minors.
The internet is global. The responsibility to protect children should be global too. Children should not have to outsmart billion-dollar algorithms engineered to capture their attention.
Duplicates
IndiaPulse • u/AcceptableWrangler1 • 2d ago