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Meta has teamed up with a leading child safety non-profit organization in a bid to tackle child exploitation online. In a release published on Tuesday (Feb. 11), Meta said it had partnered with Childhelp to develop a “first-of-its kind” education curriculum on recognizing predators.
Aimed at middle schoolers, the social media giant said the “fully-funded” initiative would raise awareness about grooming, sextortion scams and other types of online exploitation, and what to do if they or someone they know needs help. It would also be “free and available to those who teach, mentor or care for young people.”
Today, on Safer Internet Day, we’re announcing we've partnered with Childhelp on a free education curriculum to help protect young people from online exploitation, informed by world-leading child safety experts.https://t.co/VzpPlTxA2J
— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) February 11, 2025
The tech firm said their curriculum is packed with lesson plans, interactive classroom activities, to “navigate both the online and offline world safely.” They put it together with input from child safety experts, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Department of Homeland Security, the nonprofit Thorn, Purdue University, and the Crimes Against Children Research Center.
Childhelp is a US-based nonprofit that focuses on preventing and treating child abuse. They provide support services, educational programs, and advocacy to protect children and help those affected by abuse heal. Meta’s collaboration comes as it attempts to step up its child safeguarding efforts after being accused by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez of allowing child trafficking on its platforms.
Meta and Childhelp partner up amid growing criticism
Meta’s global safety lead, Antigone Davis, stated: “At Meta, we continue to do all we can to protect young people on our apps, and those protections will be even more effective if teens also feel confident in spotting potential harms and know where to go for help. That’s why we’re so excited for this curriculum to get into the hands of teachers and parents all over the country.”
Childhelp’s chief of staff, Michael Medoro, added: “With the increase in online dangers, this partnership will allow facilitators of the lessons to empower millions of young people to speak up and be comfortable in asking for help. Together, we are building a safer future for our children.”
In January last year, top social media executives testified before the US Senate in a hearing focused on tackling online child exploitation. The CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Snap, Discord, and X shared their perspectives as concerns grew over how their platforms affect kids and what they’re doing to address the issue.
Schools in several major cities in Canada have already initiated legal actions against Facebook and others, alleging that these platforms hurt children’s mental health.
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