Child Safety: TikTok and YouTube's Loud Silence

Social platforms have long been under fire for how they handle online child safety. Parents and lawmakers are loudly demanding more safeguards. Many companies have responded, joining coalitions or launching new features. But not all of them, it seems.

Meta, Snap, and X, for instance, have already made public commitments. They've introduced concrete measures or joined specific working groups for youth protection. Bloomberg reported on September 3, 2026, that TikTok and YouTube, however, stand out for their absence from these common efforts. A bold choice, or perhaps just indifference?

Instead of joining the chorus of protection, TikTok and YouTube seem to have chosen the path of muteness. They haven't joined what their rivals consider crucial initiatives for child safety. This means fewer common standards and perhaps less pressure to improve.

To date, no clear official statements or strong public commitments have come from these two platforms. They prefer to manage the situation "in-house" with their internal policies. But is that enough when the safety of our children online is at stake? I strongly doubt it.