What is the new rating system for social media platforms?

The Safe Online Standards (SOS) initiative is an external grading process that scores social media platforms on how well they protect adolescent mental health, assessing policies, governance, transparency, and content oversight.

What are the different safety ratings for social media platforms?

The ratings range from 'use carefully' for platforms meeting high standards, to 'partial protection,' and 'does not meet standards' if harmful content is not reliably blocked.

Which social media platforms are participating in the new rating system?

Major platforms including Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap are voluntarily participating in the Safe Online Standards (SOS) rating process.

Home / Technology / Social Media Platforms Face New Mental Health Ratings

Social Media Platforms Face New Mental Health Ratings

10 Feb

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Summary

Major platforms will be graded on adolescent mental health protection.
A new rating system assesses policies, governance, and content oversight.
Scores range from 'use carefully' to 'does not meet standards'.

A new external grading process, Safe Online Standards (SOS), will now evaluate major social media platforms on their protection of adolescent mental health. Companies including Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap are voluntarily submitting to this assessment. The SOS initiative, led by Dr. Dan Reidenberg of the National Council for Suicide Prevention, comprises about two dozen standards covering platform policy, governance, transparency, and content oversight.

Platforms will receive a safety rating, with the highest being 'use carefully,' indicated by a blue badge. This rating signifies accessible reporting tools, clear safety functions for parents, and features that help reduce exposure to harmful content. Lower ratings include 'partial protection' and 'does not meet standards,' depending on the availability and effectiveness of safety tools and content moderation.