When 15-year-old Nate Bronstein took his own life after relentless cyberbullying through Snapchat, and 12-year-old Matthew Minor died attempting a dangerous TikTok challenge, parents across the country – and worldwide – demanded answers from tech executives who seem to put profit before safety on their platforms.
These tragic cases – many of which have been highlighted in recent Senate hearings – expose a dangerous reality: social media platforms’ content moderation systems aren’t keeping our children safe enough.
Take Meta’s recent – and highly controversial – shift from fact-checking to “community notes” or TikTok’s ongoing battles with dangerous viral challenges, and it becomes clear that most of these popular platforms are doing little to help reduce the risks.
New state laws have been introduced to force the conversation on regulating social media access for minors. Yet, parents remain on the frontline in a world of growing digital threats and shifting platform policies.
The question isn’t just whether social media is safe for our children anymore – it’s whether the very systems meant to protect them are working at all.
Recent data shows that 90% of teens are actively using YouTube. 60% are highly engaged on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. These stats underscore the need to understand how content moderation works – and where it fails – has become essential.
And with platforms making significant changes to their moderation approaches in 2025, parents need a clear picture of what’s really happening behind the scenes.
What is Content Moderation, and Why Does it Matter?
Content moderation is like having digital security guards watch over what gets posted on social media platforms.
Moderation tools, such as content filtering, analytics, and AI capabilities, are essential in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of content moderation. Even though they aren’t perfect, they do serve a key role in keeping the most dangerous material off public platforms.
These “guards” work in three main ways:
- Automated moderation, which uses AI technologies to screen submissions against established rules for faster and more accurate decisions
- Human review to address any potentially offensive content that may bypass automation
- Community reporting to flag inappropriate content.
Monitoring Content Via Automated Moderation Systems
Think of these as AI watchdogs that scan posts, images, and videos 24/7. They’re programmed to spot obvious problems like explicit content, violence, or known scam patterns.
Large language models are utilized to improve the accuracy of moderation systems by providing a second opinion on potentially problematic content, potentially reducing the risk of erroneous censorship and enhancing overall moderation practices.
While these systems can process millions of posts quickly, they’re not perfect – they can miss subtle problems or sometimes flag innocent content by mistake.
Manually Removing Content Through Human Moderators
When the algorithm can’t keep up, platforms rely on real people who review flagged content and make judgment calls.
For example, Bluesky recently quadrupled its human moderation team to 100 people after discovering concerning increases in harmful content. These moderators deal with “edge cases” – situations that aren’t black and white – and help improve the automated systems. This hybrid approach ensures that moderated content enhances user-generated content quality, significantly influencing consumers’ buying decisions.
Crowdsourced Moderation via Community Reporting
Sometimes, the best moderators are users themselves. Distributed moderation is a community-driven approach where members actively participate in reviewing and voting on content to ensure it adheres to established guidelines. When you see a “Report” button on a post, that’s part of the moderation system that allows users to work together to moderate inappropriate content or misinformation.
Meta (formerly Facebook) recently shifted toward this approach with their “community notes” system, though many experts worry this places too much responsibility on users – and could lead to a lack of oversight in more subtle – yet still dangerous – online content risks.
Traditional Moderation Is Failing Our Kids
So, with these three watchdogs in place, why are there still tragedies occurring, and why is misinformation still flying?
The challenge isn’t just about catching bad content – it’s about scale. Consider these numbers:
- Instagram users share over 95 million photos daily
- TikTok sees about 2.5 billion videos downloaded every day
- YouTube has 500 hours of video uploaded every minute
Post moderation allows users to submit content without prior approval, ensuring real-time publication while still filtering out inappropriate material afterward.
Even with advanced AI and thousands of human moderators, platforms struggle to catch everything dangerous or inappropriate before our children see it. And the recent Senate hearings revealed a troubling truth: many platforms prioritize engagement and profit over safety.
As Senator Marsha Blackburn pointed out to Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, the company values each teen user at about $270 in lifetime revenue – leading to algorithms that favor engaging content over safe content.
What Is Section 230?
You’ve probably heard politicians and news outlets talking about “Section 230” lately – with many calling on Congress to repeal the law.
Section 230 is part of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996. Think of it as a shield that protects social media platforms from being sued for content their users post. The law basically says that platforms like Instagram or TikTok are more like libraries than publishers – they’re not legally responsible for what people post on their sites.
When the law was written, the internet was in its infancy. The goal was to help online platforms grow without fear of being sued every time a user posted something problematic. However, critics like former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argue that this protection has become a problem in 2025, especially when it comes to children’s safety.
Why? Because platforms can claim they’re not legally responsible even when harmful content targeting kids spreads on their watch.
- If someone posts dangerous content that harms a child, it’s difficult to hold the platform legally accountable
- Platforms can choose how much or how little content moderation they want to do
- There’s no legal requirement for platforms to proactively protect young users
This means most platforms hide behind Section 230 rather than invest in robust safety measures. As Meta’s shift from fact-checking to “community notes” shows, platforms often choose less moderation when they’re not legally required to do more.
Where Moderation Falls Short: The Real Dangers Slipping Through
Content moderation systems often struggle with several key areas that directly affect children’s safety. The systems must balance the need to protect young users from harmful content while also ensuring free expression.
After all, free expression facilitates open dialogue and allows individuals to share their thoughts without undue restrictions. However, managing content effectively in a diverse online environment presents significant challenges.
There’s also the issue of over-censorship. In their efforts to manage harmful content, moderation systems sometimes end up censoring too much harmless content. This over-censorship frustrates users and hampers the intention of allowing free expression.
So, what’s actually slipping through the cracks?
Dangerous “Challenges” and Trends
While platforms can easily detect and block known harmful content, new dangerous trends can spread rapidly before being identified. The tragic case of Matthew Minor highlights how quickly these challenges can go viral.
Platforms often play catch-up, only implementing blocks after harm has already occurred – allowing for all kinds of danger to proliferate:
- “Choking challenges” that spread across TikTok
- Dangerous stunts promoted as “harmless fun”
- Viral trends encouraging risky behavior
- Challenges that seem innocent but have hidden dangers
Cyberbullying and Harassment
Unlike explicit content, bullying can be subtle and context-dependent. Automated systems for social media content moderation are limited by their programming and often miss:
- Inside jokes used as weapons
- Indirect threats or intimidation
- Coordinated harassment campaigns
- Private message abuse
- “Pile-ons” where multiple users target one person
- Screenshots shared out of context
- Fake accounts created to harass specific individuals
Mental Health Impact Content
Recent research shows that gaps in how platforms handle content can affect teens’ mental well-being. All kinds of content could influence mental health, from cyberbullying to posts about self-harm or eating disorders.
While some platforms have policies in place to address this type of content, they may not be effectively enforced or monitored. Content can include:
- Posts promoting unrealistic body standards
- Content glorifying eating disorders
- Material encouraging self-harm
- “Compare and despair” social dynamics
- Posts that normalize anxiety and depression without offering support
- Content that promotes isolation or unhealthy coping mechanisms
- “Pro-ana” or “pro-mia” communities that can evade detection by using code words
The Algorithm Problem
Perhaps most concerning is how recommendation systems work. Even with content moderation in place, platform algorithms can push teens toward increasingly extreme content and create “rabbit holes” of harmful material.
This can serve to amplify content that triggers anxiety or depression – especially as platforms work to prioritize engagement over mental well-being. This, in turn, means that vulnerable users with potentially harmful advertisements and some platforms can recommend content at precisely the wrong time (like late at night when teens are most vulnerable).
Taking Action: Solutions for Parents in 2025
Built-in Platform Controls To Protect Children & Teens
Did you know that every major platform is now working to offer better parental controls? TikTok, for instance, limits specific users under 18 to 60 minutes of daily screen time. Instagram provides tools to monitor time spent and restrict direct messages.
But here’s the catch – only about 2% of teen accounts are actually linked to parent supervision features, which makes your involvement even more important. Take a moment today to set these up; they’re your foundation for safer social media use.
Open Communication: Beyond the Screen Time Battle
Instead of focusing solely on restrictions, create an environment where your kids feel comfortable discussing their online experiences. Ask questions like:
- What’s trending on social media today?
- Have you seen anything that made you uncomfortable?
- Do you know what to do if someone is being bullied online?
- Which accounts or content creators do you trust most?
Teaching Digital Literacy: Being Your Child’s First Line of Defense
Spotting Harmful Content
Children need to develop an “early warning system” to help moderate content and identify potentially dangerous material. Teach them to pause before engaging with viral challenges or trending content.
Show them how to ask critical questions:
- Who posted this?
- What’s their motivation?
- Could this be dangerous?
This intentional engagement actually works. Recent studies show that kids who develop this questioning mindset are less likely to participate in risky online behavior.
Understanding Digital Manipulation
Help your children recognize common manipulation tactics used online. From clickbait headlines to filtered photos, understanding how content can be engineered for engagement helps them maintain a healthier perspective.
Teach them about FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and how it’s often used to keep them scrolling – as well as how the platforms see them as money-making opportunities.
Reality vs Social Media
Have regular conversations about the difference between curated social media lives and reality.
Show them how influencers and celebrities often present highly edited versions of their lives. They may be less likely to make unhealthy comparisons when they understand that most social media content is carefully staged.
Making Informed Choices
Empower your children to be conscious consumers of social media. Teach them to regularly audit their feed: Which accounts make them feel good? Which ones leave them feeling anxious or inadequate?
Guide them in curating their social media experience to support their mental well-being – and lead the way in your own engagement with technology.
The “Slow Social” Movement: Creating Healthy Boundaries
There’s a new movement among families seeking to create a healthier relationship with technology and social media: the “Slow Social” movement. This approach encourages individuals to set boundaries around their use of technology, including limiting screen time and taking breaks from social media.
Tech-Free Zones
Designate specific areas in your home as device-free spaces. The dinner table and bedrooms are good places to start. Research shows that having these clear boundaries helps reduce compulsive checking and improves family communication.
Device-Free Meals
Make mealtimes a sanctuary from social media. Study after study shows that families who eat together without devices present report stronger relationships and better communication. Plus, it gives everyone a chance to practice being fully present with each other.
Family Charging Station
Want to help reduce the risk of social media and technology? Create a central charging location outside of everyone’s bedrooms.
This simple change can dramatically improve sleep quality by removing the temptation of late-night scrolling. Consider making it a family ritual to “put devices to bed” at a set time each night.
Scheduled Social Time
Work with your kids to establish specific hours for social media use. Rather than constant checking, encourage them to batch their social media time into defined periods. This routine can help them develop healthier usage patterns and better focus during other activities.
Digital Sunset Protocol
Implement a “digital sunset” routine where screens are turned off 1-2 hours before bedtime. Research shows this not only improves sleep quality but also helps reduce anxiety and FOMO. Use this time for family activities, reading, or relaxation instead.
The Bottom Line: Moderation Isn’t Enough – But You Can Help
While social media platforms continue to grapple with content moderation challenges, the reality is clear: we can’t rely solely on tech companies to keep our children safe online.
The tragic cases we’ve seen in recent years show that parental involvement, combined with the right tools and strategies, remains crucial for protecting our kids in the digital age.
As a leading parental control solution, Kidslox helps bridge the gap between platform moderation and parental oversight. With features like cross-platform monitoring, customizable time limits, and instant activity alerts, Kidslox gives parents the tools they need to create a safer digital environment for their children.
We know that every family is different. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Kidslox is designed to offer flexible controls that grow with your child, helping you navigate the complexities of online safety at every age and stage. In a world where platform moderation continues to fall short, Kidslox stands as your partner in digital parenting.
Stay informed, stay involved, and – most importantly – keep the conversation going with your children. Everyone’s online safety starts with each of us taking a stand.
Want to learn more about social media dangers and how you can create a healthier digital environment for your family? Check out our latest resources and guides – and see how parental controls can go a long way to help protect your family from online risks.
