YouTube CEO Neal Mohan shrugs off Meta’s attempt to persuade rivals to add safety features

Neal Mohan has had a busy week. On Wednesday, the YouTube CEO led his company as it presented new products and features at its annual Made On event. Then, after he stepped off the stage, Mohan delivered another announcement: He told CNN that YouTube will not be heeding Meta‘s request to add a specific set of safety features.

“We have invested in making sure that young people are safe on our platform…for a very long time,” Mohan said. “What you should expect from YouTube is continuing to focus on those things.”

Translation: YouTube is not going to adjust its strategy just because one of its competitors said so. Last month, Meta announced a landmark settlement with a group of state attorneys general. In order to quell legal challenges related to Facebook and Instagram’s effects on youth mental health, Meta agreed to pay about $17 billion.

The word “about” does a lot of work there, because the size of the settlement could increase if Meta’s rivals play along. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are getting a host of new safety features, including a “night mode” that restricts youth access during the wee hours of the morning and a toggle that turns off notifications during school hours. Meta sees those measures as a potential “industry standard” and even took out ads

urging TikTok and YouTube to follow its lead.

TikTok responded by removing the Meta ads that appeared on its platform. It described the appeals to teen safety as a form of political speech, which put the ads outside of the app’s guidelines.

Speaking on YouTube’s behalf, Mohan issued a more direct denial. He reasoned that the measures that work for one tech giant might not be the right fit for another. “We’re a very different platform,” Mohan told CNN.

Rather than acquiescing to Meta’s demands, YouTube will continue to evolve the teen safety features it has already rolled out. That has become a very long list. Recent additions to the safety suite include age verification tech and independent ratings that gauge how much harm a platform like YouTube can do to its most vulnerable users.

Perhaps, if YouTube’s legal battles persist, Mohan will sing a different tune. For now, the YouTube CEO has made it clear that he’s not interested in Meta’s proposal, “industry standard” be damned.