Meta, the owner of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has announced it is putting new protections in place for young users. The company, which is taking these steps as part of an agreement with 52 attorneys general, is also calling on TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same protections. However, safety must extend beyond screen-time limits and parental controls for young people.
A recent Forbes investigation found advertisements and accounts promoting illicit drugs and controlled substances on TikTok. Given how many children, teenagers, and other vulnerable people are on the platform – and ones like it – their exposure to this content is deeply concerning.
The protections Meta is advancing and encouraging others to implement should go further to protect people from content that can put their health and safety at risk. This includes shutting down the promotion and sale of both illegal substances and unapproved, investigational products such as retatrutide. The FDA states that retatrutide is not approved, cannot lawfully be used in drug compounding, and has not yet been found safe and effective for any condition – but advertisements for it are found all over social media. Products sold online may be mislabeled, contaminated, or otherwise dangerous and these risks are especially concerning for young users.
Americans for Safe and Effective Medicines calls on all social media platforms, policymakers, and regulators to take the necessary steps to shut down this illegal online market and better protect the people most at risk of falling prey to it.