Study Finds Majority of Youth Safety Features on Major Social Platforms Ineffective

Researchers at the Cybersafety Research Center—a joint initiative of New York University and Northeastern University—tested 86 safety features aimed at minors on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Only 35 features, just over 40 percent, met both design and functional criteria. The companies disputed the findings, asserting that the tools work as intended or that the tests do not reflect typical user behavior.

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The study created two sets of test accounts: minors with birthdates indicating under-age status, and adults aged 25 and older. Features were evaluated on discoverability, operational integrity, and ability to prevent harm. Nine features were labeled “missing” because researchers could not trigger them. The analysis focused exclusively on tools that users can activate themselves, excluding parental-control mechanisms.

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Failure rates varied: Snapchat 73 percent, Instagram 66 percent, YouTube 55 percent, TikTok 50 percent. Specific lapses included Instagram’s “pause to rethink” prompt not appearing when commenters followed each other, TikTok’s search suggesting terms such as “how to pretend to eat your food” after a minor searched for eating-disorder content, and Snapchat allowing an adult account to message a child without restriction. YouTube’s search restrictions were rated successful, yet a child could bypass the resource-direction screen and continue viewing the queried video.

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YouTube emphasized that 84 percent of parents using its supervised-account tools feel confident about safety, and pledged to “continue to strengthen these protections and innovate to protect families who use YouTube.” Meta contended that its features are “fundamentally flawed” in the report, asserting that teen accounts see “less sensitive content, experience less unwanted contact, and spend less time on Instagram at night.” Snapchat highlighted its “deeply”-held commitment to safety, noting ongoing evaluation and strengthening of protections. TikTok asserted that its teen-account settings include “over 50 preset safety features and settings automatically turned on.”

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The report concluded that effective safety features must be enabled by default, resilient to typical teenage use, and demonstrably protective. It described “systemic issues with the design and implementation of many of these features,” calling into question industry claims of reduced harm.

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Meta argued that “missing” features may result from a lack of triggering content rather than malfunction. YouTube explained that dismissing a resource screen still limits users to age-appropriate content. The study did not assess parental-control tools, leaving a gap in understanding the full safety ecosystem.

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• “If you are a parent, you should know that we have found systemic issues with the design and implementation of many of these features,” — Cybersafety Research Center report

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• “Safety features, in order to be effective, need to be on by default or easy to activate, be resilient to normal teenager use, and should demonstrably protect against harm,” — Cybersafety Research Center report

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• “We’ve spent over a decade building industry-leading parental controls, which is why 84% of parents who have used YouTube supervised account tools said they agree that these tools give them confidence that their child is accessing a safer and more controlled digital environment,” — YouTube spokesperson

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• “We will continue to strengthen these protections and innovate to protect families who use YouTube.” — YouTube spokesperson

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• “This report is fundamentally flawed and demonstrates a basic misunderstanding of how our tools work,” — Meta spokesperson

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• “deeply about the safety, privacy, and well-being of all Snapchatters, and our teams have worked for years to build safeguards, launch safety tutorials, and partner with experts … we are continually evaluating and strengthening our protections.” — Snapchat spokesperson

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The findings arrive amid thousands of lawsuits alleging that platform designs intentionally addict and harm young users. Lawmakers have renewed calls for federal regulation, and executives from the four companies are slated to testify before Congress in the coming months.

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The report’s release has prompted scheduled Capitol Hill hearings this summer, where platform leaders will address the efficacy of youth safety tools and potential legislative actions.

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