YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has rejected joining Meta's $18 billion multistate child safety settlement, stating his platform already has robust protection measures for young users, despite Meta's efforts to pressure rivals and legal threats from state attorneys general.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has dismissed the prospect of his company joining Meta's landmark $18 billion multistate settlement agreement focused on child safety. Mohan asserted that YouTube has long invested in and implemented comprehensive measures to safeguard young users, emphasizing a continued focus on these efforts. Meta's settlement addressed claims that its platforms were designed to be addictive, contributing to a youth mental health crisis. Following this, Meta has actively sought to compel rivals like YouTube and TikTok to adopt similar changes, such as introducing time limits and removing "like" counts for teen users, alongside third-party oversight of safety practices. Mohan's comments, made during a Google-owned platform event, highlight YouTube's distinction from Meta, portraying itself as a streaming platform rather than a social media site. He cited existing features like parental time limits for its Shorts videos and collaboration with third-party child safety experts. Notably, Meta's settlement terms include a clause where it pays only 70% unless TikTok and YouTube agree to contribute approximately $6 billion each and implement comparable changes. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has stated that states are prepared to take TikTok and YouTube to court if necessary. This situation unfolds amidst ongoing legal challenges for both companies; YouTube and Meta were found liable in a separate March trial for intentionally addicting a young woman and harming her mental health, a verdict they both plan to appeal. YouTube also settled a similar claim earlier this year, and all four major platforms (YouTube, Meta, TikTok, Snap) continue to face hundreds of individual and class-action lawsuits alleging harm to young users.
