Brazilian agency sues social media giants for $525 million over child abuse Reuters
Written by Ricardo Brito
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil's Collective Defense Institute, a consumer rights group, has filed two lawsuits seeking 3 billion reais ($525.27 million) from Brazilian units TikTok, Kwai and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) over allegations of failure to develop preventive measures. indiscriminate use of these social networks by children, according to the first complaints reviewed by Reuters.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
Social media regulation has become a hot topic in Latin America's largest country after a months-long dispute between X owner Elon Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court judge resulted in the company paying hefty fines.
DETAILS
The lawsuits demand that the companies implement clear data protection measures and issue warnings about the mental health risks to children and young people due to platform addiction.
The charges are based on a series of studies on the damage that can be caused by the unsupervised use of social media, especially by children and teenagers.
KEY QUOTE
“It is urgent that steps be taken to change the way the algorithm works, the processing of data from users under the age of 18, and the way young people aged 13 and over are monitored and their accounts are created, to ensure a safe, healthy experience. .. as it already happens in developed countries,” said lawyer Lillian Salgado, one of the plaintiffs.
ANSWER
Meta Platforms said in a statement that it wants “teens to have a safe and age-appropriate experience on our apps, and we've been working on these issues for over a decade, building more than 50 tools, resources, and features to support youth and their guardians.”
The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, also said it recently announced a new “Teen Account” on Instagram, which will arrive in Brazil soon and promises to automatically limit the accounts that teenagers can see and who can contact them.
TikTok said it had not yet been notified of the case, while Kwai, a social media platform based on short videos, said in a statement that user safety is one of the most important things, especially when it comes to children.
($1 = 5.7113 reais)
