Social media aimed at kids is driven by profit, not safety

Big tech claims products targeted at children are designed for safety — but all the research proves otherwise, says Alex Cooney 

In a report published last year, the Centre for Countering Digital Hate reported YouTube’s recommender algorithm is pushing 13-year-old girls down rabbit holes of harmful content. 

Representatives from big tech companies consistently describe their products and services as being "safe by design" for children. I’m not buying it.

TikTok says: “We've designed our app with safety in mind, implementing a 'safety by design' approach that ensures we are building protection for our users, including teens and their parents”.