Analyzing Social Media Claims regarding Youth Online Safety Features to Identify Problem Areas and Communication Gaps

TL;DR

This study examines how major social media platforms communicate about youth online safety, revealing gaps and inconsistencies in their messaging and highlighting areas for improved transparency and effectiveness.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive framework of risk areas and safety features, analyzing platform communications to identify gaps and problematic practices in safety messaging.

Findings

Focus on Content Exposure and Interpersonal Communication

Less emphasis on Content Creation, Data Access, Platform Access

Identified communication issues like discrepancies and unclear explanations

Abstract

Social media platforms have faced increasing scrutiny over whether and how they protect youth online. While online risks to children have been well-documented by prior research, how social media platforms communicate about these risks and their efforts to improve youth safety have not been holistically examined. To fill this gap, we analyzed N=352 press releases and safety-related blogs published between 2019 and 2024 by four platforms popular among youth: YouTube, TikTok, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and Snapchat. Leveraging both inductive and deductive qualitative approaches, we developed a comprehensive framework of seven problem areas where risks arise, and a taxonomy of safety features that social media platforms claim address these risks. Our analysis revealed uneven emphasis across problem areas, with most communications focused on Content Exposure and Interpersonal Communication, whereas less emphasis was placed on Content Creation, Data Access, and Platform Access. Additionally, we identified three problematic communication practices related to their described safety features, including discrepancies between feature implementation and availability, unclear or inconsistent explanations of safety feature operation, and a lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of safety features in mitigating risks once implemented. Based on these findings, we discuss the communication gaps between risks and the described safety features, as well as the tensions in achieving transparency in platform communication. Our analysis of platform communication informs guidelines for responsibly communicating about youth safety features.