Half Of Social Media Child Safety Features Don't Work, Report Claims
The study examines safety features found on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
Anna Barclay/Getty Images
A study from researchers at New York University and Northeastern University is claiming that at least half of the safety features meant to protect children on social media platforms don't deliver on their promises. The study, published by Heat Initiative and Cybersafety Research Center, tested 86 features across Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. According to the analysis, each of the social media platforms had a failure rate of at least 50 percent when it came to its advertised protective features, like those that prevent adults from messaging children or stop underage accounts from accessing harmful content.
In the study, researchers created dummy accounts to mimic children of various ages, in addition to some adult accounts. The study examined three different scenarios: one where a child was using the social media platform naturally; another where...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to engadget.com. To see the full text click HERE
