Meta’s Settlement Shows the Costs of Congress’ Failure to Set National Rules for Kids Online, Says ITIF

WASHINGTON—Following Meta’s landmark settlement with 48 state attorneys general over claims of addictive design on its platforms, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, issued the following statement from Senior Policy Manager Ash Johnson:

Meta’s settlement, amid an onslaught of lawsuits against social media platforms, highlights the consequences of leaving Congress’ job to courts, state lawmakers, and technology companies. This approach is a lose-lose-lose scenario: Companies face potentially massive litigation over standards that federal lawmakers have not established, courts face complex questions of public policy with scant legal precedent, and families face a confusing patchwork of rules that varies by state and platform.

Congress should establish a clear national framework for protecting children online. That framework should target specific harms to children, give parents greater and easier control over their kids’ online experiences, and avoid unnecessary restrictions on free speech and privacy. This approach would provide greater consistency for families, stronger protections for children, and greater certainty for companies—at far less cost than relying on years of litigation and an expanding patchwork of state policies to establish the rules.