Skip to main content
News

Report claims that half of the social media child safety features don't work

That's bad news.
Markus Hirsilä 30 June 2026

Child safety features in social media are a big thing now, as they should be. According to a study from researchers at New York University and Northeastern University, at least half of the safety features meant to protect children on social media platforms don't deliver on their promises, as reported by Engadget.

The study was published by Heat Initiative and Cybersafety Research Center, and it 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.

Social media companies are facing lawsuits from school districts and individuals who claimed their platforms have been causing harm.

Full profile 1,141 published articles
Why trust Gamereactor
23 Editions Each with its own newsroom and its own scores.
1998 Publishing since Independently owned for the whole of it.
100% Hands-on Written from time with the game, never press material.
1–10 Network Score Every edition’s score, averaged and shown.