Washington, D.C., May 21, 2024 –  The Brave Movement has welcomed a move by shareholders to raise concerns at Meta’s annual meeting about the social media giant’s approach to child safety.

Meta Shareholder Lisette Cooper PhD, vice chair, has filed a resolution for shareholders to vote on at the annual meeting in Menlo Park, California on May 29, 2024.

Dr. Cooper’s daughter Sarah, is a founding member of the Brave Movement. She is a survivor of child sexual abuse by an older man who misrepresented himself on Facebook Messenger. Sarah Cooper has spoken at two of Meta’s previous annual meetings.

The proposal, filed on behalf of Dr. Cooper and other Meta shareholders by Proxy Impact, calls on Meta’s Board of Directors to adopt targets for reducing harm to children on its social media platforms within one year, as well as quantitative measures for assessing the company’s improvement in this area. The resolution sets out expectations for the Board to publish the metrics in an annual report and for the company to be judged by investors and stakeholders on how effective Meta’s policies and actions have been in protecting children.

In 13 countries alone, more than 5 million internet using children aged 12 to 17, representing up to 20% of this age group, have experienced online sexual abuse and exploitation in a year.

Recent data highlights the unprecedented levels of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, with the Internet Watch Foundation identifying 2023 as the ‘most extreme year on record’ for child abuse content online.

“Meta is the leading social media company globally, with billions of users but its platforms are posing a threat and harming the safety of children. We support this shareholder resolution and welcome this crucial first step, and the efforts by campaigners and survivors to achieve it – but there is much more to be done. Protecting the safety of children should be prioritized and we will continue to work until we see an end to the harm children face online globally.” – said Dr. Daniela Ligiero, Founder of the Brave Movement.

Online child sexual exploitation and abuse is an escalating issue, not just a challenge; it is an epidemic which demands urgent action. We call on the global tech industry to take bold steps in committing to ending violence against children. The design of digital platforms and services needs to be ‘safe by design’ with children’s safety put at the centre of design and development decisions, rather than the status quo that sees their safety as an afterthought, or not thought at all. Technology companies must adopt a vulnerability lens in their design, development and business processes and do more to advance the adoption of ‘age oriented online safety’ and ‘user protection’ to prevent harm from occurring in the first place. Online violence is preventable, and we cannot afford to delay this any longer. The time for action is now!

About the Brave Movement
Hosted by Together for Girls, the Brave Movement is a survivor-led global movement campaigning to end childhood sexual violence. It is led by 14 powerful survivors and allied partners. It is demanding bold and transformative action to mobilize billions for programs focused on prevention, healing and justice worldwide, abolish statutes of limitation in every nation, and create a safer internet for children.

Media Contact: Marek Pruszewicz – marek@togetherforgirls.org