Common Sense Media Responds to Meta’s Sextortion Campaign and Feature Changes on Instagram
SAN FRANCISCO, October 17, 2024 — Today, Meta announced new safety features and an education campaign with advocacy groups Thorn and NCMEC to raise awareness among teens and parents about sextortion scams. In response, Common Sense Media Chief Advocacy Officer, Danny Weiss, issued the following statement:
"Tragically, sextortion on Instagram has been well documented for years, in lawsuits, research, and countless reports from parents. While we support safety features that help to blur images and limit screenshots, they may give parents a false sense of security. Under pressure from shareholders, Meta still has a big incentive to encourage kids to use - and become addicted to - their products.
"History has shown how Big Tech reacts to pressure from Congress and state lawmakers, and it's often in the form of a public awareness campaign or product adjustments. Young people and parents absolutely need education about sextortion scams and other online harms, but Meta continues to do everything it can to stop lawmakers from establishing guardrails for kids and teens online. That's what we really need – new laws that force large social media companies to design their products in a way that is safe for kids and teens.
"The states are leading the way. But we need national protection. The overwhelmingly approved U.S. Senate bill, KOSPA, would do just that by limiting strangers from contacting children online, prevent others from viewing their information, and restrict the sharing of their location. KOSPA also gives parents and minors an easy-to-use mechanism to submit reports to platforms when a minor is being, or has been, harmed by the platform. While education and awareness is very important, and Common Sense is a leading provider of digital literacy education across the country, the ultimate solution is to have Congress pass strong national protections for kids online when it returns after the upcoming election."
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