Fairplay welcomes FTC report finding social media, video streamers failed to protect kids and teens

Fairplay welcomes the Federal Trade Commission’s new staff report finding that large social media and video streaming companies failed to adequately protect children and teens on their sites. The report follows comments that Fairplay and 30 other groups filed with the FTC in 2019 as part of the commission’s early review of rules protecting children under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

“This report from the FTC is yet more proof that Big Tech’s business model is harmful to children and teens,” Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin said. “Online platforms use sophisticated and opaque techniques of data collection that endanger young people and put their healthy development at risk. We thank the FTC for listening to the concerns raised by Fairplay and a coalition of advocacy groups, and we call on Congress to pass COPPA 2.0, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, and KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act, to better safeguard our children from these companies’ dangerous and unacceptable business practices.”

The FTC’s staff report, released today, finds that social media and video streaming services didn’t adequately protect children and teens. The report cites research showing that social media and digital technology contributed to negative mental health impacts on young users.

Based on data collected for the report, the FTC says that many social media and video streaming companies assert there are no children on their platforms because their services are not directed to children or do not allow children to create accounts. This is an apparent attempt by the companies to avoid liability under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule, the report says.

The report adds that social media and video streaming services often treat teens the same as adult users, with most companies allowing teens on their platforms with no account restrictions.

In 2019, Fairplay helped lead a coalition of 31 advocacy groups — including the Center for Digital Democracy, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Common Sense Media and others — in urging the FTC to use its subpoena power to obtain information from leading digital media companies that target children online.

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to advance both COPPA 2.0, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, and KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act. Both bills passed the Senate in July by the overwhelming bipartisan vote of 91-3.

Read the FTC’s report.