Meta and TikTok Face Scrutiny Over Parent-Run Girl Influencer Accounts

Senator Demands Answers from Social Media Giants on Exploitation of Young Girls

Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire has called upon the CEOs of X, TikTok, Meta, Snap, and Discord to address the alarming issue of young girls being exploited on their platforms. In a statement to The Zero Byte, Senator Hassan emphasized the need for these companies to take responsibility and outline the steps they will implement to combat this problem.

“These corporations must answer for how they are allowing young women and girls to be exploited on their platforms and what steps they will take in response,” Senator Hassan, who represents New Hampshire, told The Zero Byte. “Young women should be able to express themselves online in safe environments that do not facilitate the monetization of potentially exploitative content.”

Parents Bypassing Age Restrictions and Monetizing Their Daughters

An investigation by the Times revealed that parents are easily circumventing the age restrictions on social platforms, which prohibit children under 13 from creating accounts. Some parents are using these accounts to essentially monetize their daughters by turning them into influencers, securing discounts, sponsorship deals, or generating advertising revenue.

Disturbing Trend of Predators Seeking Suggestive Content

Even more disturbingly, some of these accounts have attracted individuals, including convicted sex offenders, who are willing to pay for additional photos beyond those shared on a girl’s social media account, private chats, or even used clothing. The Times reporters analyzed approximately 5,000 accounts of young girls managed by their parents.

Prevalence on Instagram and Lack of Data from X

While the Times discovered that some parents also operated TikTok accounts, the issue was most prevalent on Meta’s Instagram. X was not mentioned in the Times investigation, and the company asserts that its underage user base makes up less than 1 percent of its total users. However, The Zero Byte has previously reported that the platform may not have the necessary data to accurately make such a claim.

Calls for Action and Responses from Social Media Companies

In light of these revelations, Senator Hassan is demanding answers from TikTok, X, and Meta regarding their awareness of parents circumventing age requirements, the monetization of young girls’ accounts, and the active measures they have implemented to detect and prevent such accounts.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone, in a statement to the Times, said that the company prevents “accounts exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior from using our monetization tools, and we plan to limit such accounts from accessing subscription content.” However, he also stated that parents are ultimately responsible for the accounts.

The social media platforms have been given until April 8 to provide their responses to Senator Hassan’s inquiries.