Social media platforms YouTube and TikTok failed to appear at the Live Real Life Symposium earlier in September, earning the ire of Florida officials.
The Context
In late August, 51 attorneys general were able to get social media giant Meta to issue an $18 billion settlement and force the implementation of safety measures for young users on Facebook and Instagram, including a two-hour daily time limit, a strict 12 a.m.–6 a.m. night mode curfew, age assurance measures, notifications disabled by default during school hours, likes and reactions hidden by default to limit social comparison, and options for parents and teens to disable personalized feeds and auto-play.
Then, at the beginning of September, the Department of Health and Human Services' Live Real Life Symposium was scheduled to feature representatives from YouTube and TikTok to discuss mitigating the harms of social media on children, but despite their commitment, they failed to appear.
"Not only have YouTube and TikTok failed to step up and join Meta in offering meaningful new changes to keep kids safe on their platforms, but YouTube and TikTok both chose to back out of an event with HHS where they may have been asked to answer for the harm they've caused millions of children and families," American Principles Project President Terry Schilling told the Daily Caller, adding, "Their silence, including pulling a disappearing act on the Trump Administration, speaks volumes."
Florida Officials Weigh In
Representative Randy Fine (R-FL) was among the Florida lawmakers who commented on social media about the issue, writing, ".@Meta's new parental controls are a positive step in the right direction. Parents should decide what their kids see online, not Silicon Valley. @YouTube and @tiktok_us still refuse to take any real action to protect children. It's a disgrace — do your job, or we'll do it for you!"
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer wrote, "Your turn @YouTube & @tiktok_us @Snapchat. Stage AGs just got Meta to agree to age verification, screen time limits, and parental controls. Parents get to decide what their kids see AND for how long."
"YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok need to step up, OR AGs should keep going," Spicer continued, adding, "This isn't a one app issue - kids bounce between all of them, and each of those companies knows down to the minute how much time users spend there. These companies could make these changes tomorrow if they wanted to."
"Every parent (and politician) knows this is a HUGE issue. Every health care professional knows this is a HUGE issue. Nobody thinks a single company or a single rule solves all of that. But a company that makes its money on a teenager's attention doesn't get to shrug and say it's someone else's problem. Meta got there - now the rest of these companies need to as well," Spicer concluded.
