In the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act case, TikTok must pay $400 million immediately. This is a just act. Children’s personal data must not be accessed off by any platform, AI or non-AI. This case has been running since 2024. The case was pursued in the U.S. District Court, California. The winning of this case over TikTok shows that AI and social media companies, however howsoever popular, are liable for wrongdoing. Private data must be respected, and if it belongs to a child, it must not even be touched. Since the case was filed, the TikTok has undergone a lot of changes in its policies, to even in its handling of children’s data. But it needed to be fined to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
The Question is, Meta has to pay $1 trillion while TikTok $400 million. However, Meta has agreed to some amount less than $1T. The lawsuit was filed in 2023. Why is is TikTok being asked for $400 million while Meta is agreeing to $18bn over a period of time? Meta has been accused of addiction to teens and bad influence on children. TikTok is even more addictive. Meta recommender system has been rightfully alleged to be causing harm to children. Meta needs to pay the 48 US states this amount. Apart from that, changes are required on its platforms for children to protect kids online. However, Meta denied wrong doing? Meta had confessed it tried to keep teens and children safe online. So if Meta was not responsible, who was responsible for the harms caused by their AI and recommender systems?
AI can harm children a lot. Their brains are delicate and need care. Children must be protected from online harms, wrong learning and AI can expedite the bad effects on children. Social media must be responsible for its addictive products. Even TikTok is addictive, and I think TikTok is more addictive than Meta. So why is TikTok is not being fined for $1 trillion. Why only Meta? Are they all the same when it comes to children safety? Children get addicted to the flashy side of AI on social media. Meta has taken many steps towards improving the platforms, including maintaining two-hour use of social media, to limiting likes, creating a school time off zone, to mention a few.
But the harm that has been done can’t be compensated by just money. It’s a loss to the sensitive young child and influence on their lives. Why not join hands to protect the younger generations, not just by educating teachers in schools but also by taking measure that children are safe online. Lets protect our children, the future of Earth.