Hooking them young: How Meta and Google used Sesame Street to target children

Tech giants Meta and Google have enlisted some of the world's most trusted children's brands, including Sesame Street and the Girl Scouts, to teach children about using technology in moderation.

However, according to a Reuters investigation, internal documents show these same companies designed their apps to make it difficult for young users to ever unplug.

Backed by tens of millions of dollars from the tech firms, these beloved organisations have been delivering lessons on personal responsibility to hundreds of thousands of children and parents, using colourful magazines and popular characters.

But critics and parent advocates warn this is a cynical move to normalise social media use from a young age and weaken the institutions families have relied on for decades.

"It's like Sesame Street teaming up with Philip Morris to teach kids how to smoke cigarettes safely," said Rose Bronstein, whose 15-year-old son died by suicide after he was bullied online. "How is it any different?"

A crisis of trust

The partnerships are fuelling accusations that the companies are simply finding new ways to make children dependent on social media. Critics point out that since Meta and Google's business models rely on maximising screen time to generate billions in advertising revenue, their guidance on moderation cannot be unbiased.

"Their very business model relies on maximum time on device," said Emily Boddy, of the parent group US Smartphone Free Childhood. "Their guidance or advice can't be neutral."

The backlash is already having an effect. The National PTA recently announced it was ending its 15-year corporate sponsorship with Meta, a sign of the growing unease among parent-focused groups.

This comes as the tech giants face thousands of lawsuits from states, school districts and families accusing them of designing addictive products that have fuelled a youth mental health crisis.

Patches, badges and smartphone 'sleeping bags'

The sponsored materials include a "digital leadership" badge for the Girl Scouts, backed by Meta's Instagram. To earn it, middle-school-aged girls are instructed to track their screen time before being challenged to "create digital content to support a topic" they care about.

Last year, Google began sponsoring its own patch, the "Be Internet Awesome Fun Patch," featuring its logo alongside the Girl Scouts'.

Brendesha Tynes, a children's media researcher, said it feels like the companies are "priming them to desire to get on social media once they reach the minimum age."

Google also paid Highlights magazine at least £4 million. A special edition sponsored by the company includes instructions for children on how to make a "sleeping bag" to store devices overnight. Parents who reviewed the magazine for Reuters said the activity appeared to normalise smartphone ownership for the magazine's readers, who are as young as six.

The courtroom reckoning

While Meta and Google insist they prioritise child safety, the courts are beginning to disagree. The first of many cases to reach trial ended with a £5 million judgment against the two companies for designing platforms harmful to young users.

In a separate case in New Mexico, a jury ordered Meta to pay a staggering £300 million for violating consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the safety of its platforms for children. Meta has said it will appeal the verdict.

The pressure is also mounting internationally, with the European Union charging Meta in May with breaching the Digital Services Act for not doing enough to prevent children under 13 from accessing its platforms.

In response to the growing crisis, a new coalition of youth and mental health organisations has formed. The "Fund IRL" (In Real Life) initiative is now campaigning for any financial payouts from lawsuits to be funnelled into under-resourced, in-person youth programmes, arguing they are a powerful antidote to the negative effects of excessive screen time.