FTC Order Would Ban Social Media App From Offering Anonymous Messaging to Kids Under 18

Last week the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced legal action against social media platform NGL and its founders, citing “a host of law violations related to their anonymous messaging app, including unfairly marketing the service to children and teens.”

Launched in 2021, NGL is a social media platform that encourages users to send messages and ask and answer questions — all anonymously. The FTC says NGL’s anonymity promotes cyberbullying and exposes children to inappropriate content.

In a statement, the FTC and the LA D.A.’s Office said,

“NGL marketed its app to kids and teens despite knowing that it was exposing them to cyberbullying and harassment,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “In light of NGL’s reckless disregard for kids’ safety, the FTC’s order would ban NGL from marketing or offering its app to those under 18. We will keep cracking down on businesses that unlawfully exploit kids for profit.”

“The consequences of these actions can be severe. The anonymity provided by the app can facilitate rampant cyberbullying among teens, causing untold harm to our young people,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said. “We cannot tolerate such behavior, nor can we allow companies to profit at the expense of our children’s safety and well-being. Today’s charges send a clear message that deceptive practices and targeting vulnerable populations will not be tolerated.”

The FTC’s case is reminiscent of the Arkansas Attorney General’s lawsuits against TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

The lawsuits allege social media giant TikTok violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by promoting “intensely sexualized” content — including content that sexualizes children — on its platform, and that TikTok failed to fully disclose that the platform is subject to Chinese law — including “laws that mandate secret cooperation with intelligence activities of the People’s Republic of China.”

The lawsuit against Meta — owner of Facebook and Instagram — alleges the social media platforms violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by relying on algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time,” noting that this exploitation is especially true of young users with developing brains.

In each case, the Arkansas Attorney General argues the social media platforms deceptively marketed their apps as being appropriate for children under 18. The FTC is now making a similar argument in its case against NGL.

As we have said time and time again, social media platforms aren’t just websites. These are multimillion dollar businesses owned and operated by investors and other interests.

There is mounting evidence that these platforms put users’ personal information at risk and are actually designed to push objectionable content to users. With that in mind, it’s good to see state and federal regulators taking action to protect children on social media.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.