YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has rejected the idea of joining Meta's multistate settlement focused on child safety, arguing that YouTube already has measures designed to protect younger users.
"We have invested in making sure that young people are safe on our platform … for a very long time," Mohan told CNN on Wednesday, adding that YouTube would continue to prioritize those efforts.
Meta recently agreed to an $18 billion settlement with multiple states over allegations that its platforms were designed in ways that encouraged addictive use and contributed to a youth mental health crisis.
The company has urged competitors, including YouTube and TikTok, to adopt measures similar to those included in its settlement.
These proposals include limiting the amount of time teenagers can spend on the platforms, removing "like" counts for teen accounts and introducing independent oversight of safety practices.
Mohan made his comments during a meeting with journalists at YouTube's annual Made on YouTube event on Wednesday.
The company used the event to announce several new features for creators and viewers, including additional AI-powered tools and messaging capabilities.
Meta reached the settlement while the multistate lawsuit was still being tried and has presented the agreement as a major step toward improving online safety for young people.
The company has also run advertisements and made public appeals encouraging other platforms to adopt similar measures.
Under the terms of the agreement, Meta said it would pay only 70% of the settlement amount unless TikTok and YouTube agreed to contribute roughly $6 billion each and implement comparable safety measures.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has also said the states could pursue legal action against TikTok and YouTube if they refuse to participate.
Mohan, however, pointed to measures YouTube already has in place, including parental controls that allow parents to restrict how much time teenagers spend watching Shorts, the platform's short-form video service.
He also said YouTube consults independent experts when developing child-safety features.
"We're a very different platform (from Meta), too," Mohan said, noting that YouTube is also focusing on expanding the amount of content users watch on television screens in their homes.
TikTok has not publicly responded to calls for it to join Meta's settlement.
Bonta's office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Mohan's position.
In a separate case, YouTube and Meta were found liable in March after a Los Angeles trial concluded that the companies had intentionally designed their platforms in ways that contributed to the addiction and mental health problems of a young woman. Both companies have said they intend to appeal the ruling.
A YouTube spokesperson previously argued that the verdict misunderstood the platform, describing YouTube as a responsibly designed streaming service rather than a social media platform.
Earlier this year, YouTube settled a similar lawsuit brought by another teenager.
TikTok and Snap also reached settlements in that case, while the claims against Meta were dropped.
Despite these settlements, all four companies continue to face hundreds of lawsuits from individuals, families, and school districts alleging that their platforms have harmed young users.
