– Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa – Archive
MADRID, 11 Feb. (Portaltic/EP) –
Companies of social networks like Meta, TikTok and Snap have agreed to join the new project Safe Online Standars (SOS), so they will be subject to this new system of standards and classifications intended to evaluate measures to protect the mental health of adolescents ‘online’ that they implement on their platforms.
This initiative has been developed by the Mental Health Coalition (MHC) together with mental health experts and is based on the first standards system designed to evaluate how social networks, video games and digital platforms design their products, protect users between 13 and 19 years old and address exposure to harmful content, such as suicide or self-harm.
In this way, companies that decide to undergo this evaluation system must voluntarily submit documentation about your policies, tools, and product features. All of this is examined by an independent panel of global experts, who publish their final rating based on a public color grading system, as specified by the non-profit organization in a statement.
This color grading system has been designed to be simple and accessible, so that Anyone can identify if a social network or platform is within the standards to ensure mental health care.
In this sense, the first group of technology companies that have agreed to undergo the evaluation of this SOS system includes platforms such as Discord, YouTube, Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Roblox y Twitch. Specifically, Meta, TikTok and Snap will be the first to complete the corresponding evaluations.
As the founder and director of SOS in the Mental Health Coalition, Dan Reidenberg, has stated in this regard, standards and classifications for products “are very common today, except in the field of ‘online’ technology. In this framework, he has highlighted how both users and advertisers want to know “what is a safer place for young people and young adults in their ‘online’ activities”, for which the SOS program has been referred to as a solution.
For her part, the vice president and global director of security at Meta, Antigone Davis, has pointed out that the company has been working for “more than a decade” to guarantee the safety of young people in its applications and, within this framework, they consider that these standards offer the public a meaningful way to evaluate the protections of the platforms and “hold companies accountable.”
The SOS initiative also takes into account the relevant role played by advertisers in shaping behavior on platforms, so it also offers brands and agencies a transparent tool to align advertising with values that prioritize mental health of young people, in order to reinforce incentives for healthier online environments.
Likewise, with regard to the online gaming platformswhere, according to the organization, “young people spend considerable time,” both Thriving in Games and Robloxhave expressed their support for SOS to protect the mental health of young people.
Therefore, from the Mental Health Coalition They urge technology companies to participate in the SOS program and integrate mental health considerations into the design of their products.
“The Internet Safety Standards are not a solution in themselves, but rather the launch of an ongoing initiative that empowers true stakeholders with a genuine interest in outcomes: users, their parents, and the brands and companies that shape digital experiences,” Reidenberg concluded, adding that, by creating a shared framework of responsibility, SOS “helps move towards online spaces that better promote mental health and well-being“.
date: 2026-02-11 11:05:00