‘Wouldn’t be the first time Meta made a promise to avoid congressional action,’ Issue One says following Instagram changes

In response to changes announced this morning by Instagram amid growing pressure to protect young users online, Issue One released the following statement from Alix Fraser, director of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media:

“It’s far past time social media companies do more to protect our kids online. This latest tool from Meta is a small step in the right direction, but it won’t change the fact that Meta has proven time and time again that they are incapable of policing themselves. Their products and algorithms are designed to target kids and get them hooked, and we only know that because whistleblowers have bravely stepped forward to shine light on these horrible business practices.

“The simple fact is that this announcement comes as congressional pressure is mounting and support for the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act continues to build. It wouldn’t be the first time Meta made a promise to avoid congressional action and then never followed through or quietly backed away. We need Congress to finally act and put kids before big tech’s profits.”

Last month, Issue One launched a new database highlighting the history of broken promises by the world’s largest tech companies. Big Tech’s Broken Promises helps shed light on how these platforms operate in practice, rather than in their marketing or lobbying materials. All of the examples included in the tracker were announced publicly, only to be later retracted, significantly altered, marginalized, or never come to fruition.

Without meaningful federal transparency standards, these companies have chosen to offer only sporadic and incomplete disclosures that keep policymakers and the American public in the dark. In lieu of these tools, our tracker compiles testimonies, news articles, academic and civil society research, and more to document more than 100 broken promises from Big Tech. This interactive tracker is designed to inform lawmakers, advocates, and researchers as they seek to apply new oversight measures to these companies.