Removal of Meta Fact Checkers

Parents were already worried about what their teens see on Instagram. Eighty percent of parents say it’s very important to manage the amount of time their teen spends on their smartphone (Pew Research Center, 2024). Now that fact-checkers have been removed at Meta, not only has Mark Zuckerberg increased Meta’s bottom line by $5B — what was previously spent on the Safety and Security Department — but we are also likely to see an increase in dangerous content and misinformation. We can look to X as a portent of what’s to come.

“The changes in content moderation at X since Musk’s takeover could foreshadow similar results at Meta. A USC study of English-language posts on X from January 2022 to June 2023 found that hate speech had increased by 50 percent in that time, with the use of transphobic slurs increasing by 260 percent.” (Li Zhou, Vox, Jan. 8, 2025)

At LOOK, our mission is to help parents and teens gain control of their social media use and REDIRECT the time they spend scrolling into more meaningful activities that not only enrich their own lives but also benefit their communities. Alongside gamified social media guardrails, our proven neurobehavioral training method helps users regain focus and rebuild resilience. We combine the best of behavior-change science with innovative and HUMANE technology to help people scroll less, live more, and create a positive ripple effect in the world.

The runaway train of social media is off the rails now that Meta has removed fact checking. Teenagers were having a hard enough time when content was "moderated." I don't see how teens and families can possibly benefit from this sea change at Meta. We are at an inflection point as a society, and we must pump the brakes.