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

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters. Published On 14 Oct 202614 Oct 2026.

Key points

• The lawsuit alleged Meta had violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠retaining, and using personal data from children under 13 without proper parental consent.
• Authorities stated they had already discussed the matter with representatives of social media outlets and streaming platforms such as Meta, Microsoft, Apple, TikTok, Google, X and Huawei.
• Mexican ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠President Claudia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sheinbaum signed a presidential decree requiring digital platforms, including TikTok, Meta and X, to protect children from violent, sexual and other harmful content online.
• Digital platforms will have one month to comply with the decree, administration adviser Luisa Maria Alcalde stated.
• Sheinbaum remarked on Wednesday that the administration would back legislation to penalise firms that fail to implement the decree.

As well as immediately remove any risky material from the profiles of minors, the decree establishes that digital platforms must, by design, restrict exposure to content involving violence, harassment or sexual abuse.

"If no progress is made, it would become a law, " she informed a news conference on Tuesday.

"The goal is for digital platforms to take on some of the responsibility and refrain from disseminating, promoting, or spreading content related to this type of information – including criminal acts or violent behaviour, " Sheinbaum had remarked earlier when she indicated she would introduce the decree.

In practice, the decree comes after an attack by two 18-year-olds on their former high school in the northern ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌state of Coahuila in early October that killed one and wounded three others.

Last August, Meta, for example, agreed to pay an $18bn settlement in a major US federal case accusing it of endangering children, and was forced to introduce new safety features to platforms including Instagram and Facebook. The lawsuit alleged Meta had violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠retaining, and using personal data from children under 13 without proper parental consent.

Mexico's move follows a broader global push to protect minors online, with governments in Europe and Australia tightening oversight of digital platforms and US states pursuing a range of child-safety measures.

Brazil has additionally moved to strengthen protections for children online. Such measures have raised questions over how to protect minors while safeguarding privacy and freedom of expression.

For now, mexico to force Meta, TikTok, and X to better protect minors on remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.