Are Social Media and Tech Companies Taking Steps to Address These Issues, and Are They Sufficient?

Before Frances Haugen released the Facebook documents and before firms like SMVLC began pursuing lawsuits to hold these companies accountable, the reality was that they were not taking meaningful action. While major tech companies had integrity and safety teams, their ability to implement real change was severely restricted. Any proposed safety fix had to come with proof that it wouldn’t negatively impact user engagement, effectively tying the hands of those trying to make platforms safer. People within these companies may have genuinely cared, but they could not push changes past leadership figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Evan Spiegel if those changes threatened engagement metrics. After Haugen’s revelations and the filing of lawsuits, these companies began rolling out safety initiatives, likely in response to mounting legal and regulatory pressure. However, when you look at the fine print, none of these announcements reflect real, material changes. Instead, they appear to be the bare minimum—an attempt to create the illusion of action while continuing business as usual.