YouTube CEO rejects Meta's multistate child safety settlement

YouTube Chief Executive Neal Mohan on Wednesday rejected calls to join Meta's $18 billion multistate settlement over child safety concerns, telling CNN that the video platform has long maintained independent measures to protect younger users. Mohan made the comments during a meeting with journalists at YouTube's annual Made on YouTube event, where the company announced new AI-powered features for creators.

YouTube cites existing safeguards

"We have invested in making sure that young people are safe on our platform … for a very long time," Mohan told CNN, adding that YouTube would continue prioritizing child protection efforts. "We're a very different platform (from Meta), too," he said, pointing to parental controls that restrict teenagers' time spent watching Shorts and noting that the company consults independent experts when developing safety features.

Meta ties payout to rival participation

Meta recently agreed to pay $18 billion to resolve allegations that its platforms were designed to encourage addictive use and contributed to a youth mental health crisis, urging competitors to adopt measures including limiting teenagers' screen time, removing "like" counts for teen accounts and introducing independent oversight. The company said it would remit only 70% of the settlement unless TikTok and YouTube each contributed roughly $6 billion and implemented comparable safety protocols, according to the terms.

Separate rulings and ongoing litigation

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has warned that states could pursue legal action against TikTok and YouTube if they refuse to join the agreement, according to agency reports. Bonta's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Mohan's position.