Mexico to force Meta, TikTok, and X to better protect minors on platform

What the report says

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has signed a decree requiring major digital platforms, including Meta’s services, TikTok and X, to do more to shield minors from harmful online content, according to Al Jazeera. The measure says platforms must be designed to limit children’s exposure to violent, sexual, harassment-related and abusive material, and to remove risky content from minors’ profiles quickly when it appears.

The government said the companies will have one month to comply, and officials have already held talks with representatives from several technology and streaming firms, including Meta, Microsoft, Apple, TikTok, Google, X and Huawei. Sheinbaum also said authorities would support legislation if companies do not make progress, which could turn the decree into a formal law.

Al Jazeera reported that the move follows a deadly attack at a high school in Coahuila earlier in October, in which two 18-year-olds allegedly attacked their former school, killing one person and injuring three others. The decree reflects a wider international trend of governments pressing social media companies to improve child-safety protections.

As broader context, regulators in Europe, Australia and parts of the United States have increased scrutiny of online platforms over minors’ safety and privacy. The policy debate often centers on how to protect children without undermining freedom of expression or user privacy.