Mentions

A report by the youth-led NPO "Design It For Us" was submitted to the trial in New Mexico, which won ahead of other states. Co-chair Sebastian Mahal says. "It was recognized that Meta neglected to design products that were safe for young people. However, this reconciliation is only the starting point. People are beginning to realize that corporate responsibility can and must be questioned."

But while the settlement includes some “meaningful” changes, others don’t go far enough, said Sebastian Mahal, co-chair of the youth online safety organization Design It For Us. For example, while teens can opt-in to a non-algorithmic feed, the default remains a personalized version that’s better for Meta’s business, Mahal said. They’re really allowing users a semblance of a different experience,” Mahal said. “But we would rather see that these safest experiences be switched on automatically for users.

It will be “a signal for the rest of the country,” said Zamaan Qureshi, 24, the co-founder of a youth tech policy group called Design It For Us that supports the proposal.

With Design It For Us, hundreds of young people are working together to create safer social media, Iyer said. They’re advocating “age-appropriate design” and better regulation of specific features designed to keep people engaged, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and targeted advertising. “Our goal is to get as many young people as we can at the table so we can get policy that actually reflects what we want to see,” Iyer said.