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Parent activists say Meta’s $17 billion settlement in a child social media addiction lawsuit is “peanuts,” and more needs to be done to protect children on social media.
Activist Cheryl Brown lost her daughter, McKenna, to cyberbullying and sexual harassment and is now leading the charge to hold Meta accountable for how it treats young users.
She told FOX Business in an interview that while Meta agreed to make some changes following the lawsuit, the issue still requires an act of Congress.
“It’s a step in the right direction. It’s peanuts in the scheme of things, and it certainly does not bring McKenna back or the other kids that have been lost,” Brown told Fox.
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“There are some positives,” she added, noting the ban on children under 13 accessing Meta’s platforms as well as Instagram being turned off for teens overnight.
Brown went on to call on Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg to help parents in their push for reform. She referenced reports that Zuckerberg had told others at Meta that he wished the issue had been solved by Congress before the lawsuit became necessary.
Brown and other parents have joined under the banner ParentsSOS to push Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which she said has much broader protections for kids.
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She said Meta’s current changes are too focused on parental tools and don’t force the company to change the fundamental ways their platforms interact with children.
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KOSA passed the Senate in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote last year, but still has not made it through the House.
“The fact that it’s not passed yet is asinine, honestly,” Brown stated.
“It’s gonna take something tragic happening to someone’s kid before they finally open their eyes and realize that this is a hugely pervasive and preventable problem,” she said.
