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Report & Resource
November 3, 2026

State of the World’s Girls 2026: Change her forecast

Girls globally face greater risks of child marriage, unintended early pregnancy and violence because of climate-fueled disasters, new research from Plan International finds. “Change Her Forecast” spotlights these risks — driven by events such as floods, droughts and cyclones — and the threats they pose to girls’ health, safety, education and futures. Our flagship State of the World’s Girls report 2026 combines analysis of health and climate data from 50+ countries over three decades with a survey of 5,000 girls, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 139 girls, across Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Senegal and Zimbabwe. It finds nine in 10 girls say climate events are badly straining their household’s survival, health and stability.

Blog
October 29, 2026

It’s past time to step up for U.S. teens

News & press
October 21, 2026

Investigation Reveals How TikTok Executives Ignored Internal Child-Safety Warnings

Article Source: CNET | Date of Publication: October 20, 2026 | Author: Omar Gallaga

NPR reports that TikTok staff raised the alarm on youth bypassing age restrictions as well as being sexually exploited on the platform.

A report on court documents involved in a TikTok child-safety trial show the company had knowledge of major platform problems that put minors at risk.

Court documents on some of the inner workings of TikTok paint a picture of a tech company repeatedly warned by its own staff about the dangers its platform posed to minors — and then ignoring many of those warnings.

According to an investigation from NPR, unsubmitted depositions from an ongoing multistate trial against TikTok, Meta, Google and Snap reveal that TikTok executives knew that underage users were circumventing its age restrictions. Internal documents also reportedly show that some minors were engaging in sexually exploitative acts using TikTok’s own platform features, including its Live video streaming tool.

The NPR report cites the deposition of Reagan Maher, who worked in safety at the company in the early 2020s, addressing the fallout from a damning 2022 Forbes story about child exploitation on the platform. Maher said she informed senior leaders at the company that kids aged 13 to 15 were accessing features meant for adults, such as monetized live video.

A spokesperson for TikTok told CNET in an email that the information in the NPR report was “clearly cherry-picked at the behest of trial lawyers and used to inaccurately rewrite our history and mislead the public about our commitment to youth safety and how our platform works.”

TikTok also said that NPR ignored “numerous documents and resources” that would demonstrate how the story’s claims mischaracterize the platform’s features. The spokesperson stated that the company has spent significant amounts of money on safety and introduced over 50 default protections for young users, including Family Pairing tools for parents, and that it was steadfast in its “commitment to the well-being of our community.”

Child-safety reckoning on tech platforms

TikTok is one of a growing group of major tech platforms that have faced lawsuits, scrutiny from parents and financial penalties over how they regulate the safety of younger users. Others include the gaming platform Roblox, AI companies such as OpenAI, streaming video services like Google-owned YouTube and social media companies such as Meta.

Online dangers like predators, cyberbullying and inappropriate content aren’t the only risks for kids. Tech companies are also facing lawsuits for making their platforms addictive and harmful to young users. In August, Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement over those issues in a landmark lawsuit brought on by multiple US states.

TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance — which still holds a stake in the company despite some government-mandated divestment to the US for its American operations — were sued in 2024 by the Department of Justice over violations of child privacy laws, resulting in a $400 million settlement. Last month, TikTok settled a $100 million lawsuit in Alabama and agreed to limit daily child usage in the state.

The NPR report shows not only that TikTok was made aware of these problems by its own staff. It also reveals that the company — among other alleged violations of the law — may have directly profited from the sexual exploitation of minors. Youth were reportedly rewarded with gifts online that could be converted to cash, with TikTok earning a cut of those profits.

Devastating, but predictable

Child-safety advocates told CNET that the NPR report exposes safety gaps in the way platforms such as TikTok were designed.

“These court documents are nothing short of devastating, but for those of us fighting child exploitation every day, they are tragically predictable,” said Michael Medoro, chief operating officer of child-abuse prevention organization Childhelp.

Medoro said that active monitoring, the elimination of safety loopholes and stronger age verification will require cooperation between tech leaders, advocates and law enforcement.

According to Shanna Marzilli, CEO of Plan USA, an advocacy group for girls that is part of Plan International, the TikTok documents confirm what young people, especially girls, have been saying for many years. “Online spaces are not safe for them,” she said.

Marzilli said that young people are clued into the idea that tech companies can’t protect them. In a research study conducted among US young people aged 10 to 19, only 14% of them trust social media companies to take sexual harassment and assault seriously.

“Voluntarily implemented parental controls and self-reported age limits are demonstrably ineffective when platforms leave these structural loopholes open,”

Shanna Marzilli: President & CEO, Plan International USA

Online Safety

Girls report routine online harassment that worsens their mental health.

View Report

Original article posted on CNET.com on 10/20/2026; can be viewed at this link: Investigation Reveals How TikTok Executives Ignored Internal Child-Safety Warnings – CNET

News & press
October 13, 2026

Plan International USA finds U.S. youths overwhelmingly support gender equality, but hostile digital environments hold them back

Read the full article “Plan International USA finds U.S. youths overwhelmingly support gender equality, but hostile digital environments hold them back” on PR Newswire.

Most U.S. youths back gender equality, but hostile digital spaces hold them back, Plan International USA survey finds "Because I Am a Girl" movement aims to secure hard-won progress.

Toxic online spaces, body image pressure and fear of being judged are harming young people across the United States, particularly girls, a new study by Plan International USA finds. An overwhelming 94% of young people surveyed also said they support gender equality, though most don’t see it yet.

In a 2026 survey of more than 1,000 youths aged 10-19, 42% of older girls rated their mental health poorly, compared with 25% of older boys. Thirty-six percent of older girls on social media said they had experienced online sexual harassment, according to the study, titled “Listening to U.S. Adolescents on Gender & Equality” and conducted by the nonpartisan research firm PerryUndem.

Key findings

Young people from every U.S. region ranked their top priorities as living authentically (73%) and feeling at peace (73%). Marriage (34%) and parenthood (30%) ranked much lower.

While nearly eight in 10 adolescents say being their authentic selves is important, half the girls and more than one-third of boys reported choosing not to share their opinions online because they feared negative comments or backlash. Most teens distrust social media companies (62%) and government (73%) to take sexual harassment and assault seriously.

The percentage of young people who said they had considered running for elected office notably fell by 12%, from around 33% in 2018 to 21% in 2026, the survey found.

Girls who participate in team sports were more likely to view themselves as leaders, consider political leadership and report better mental health than girls who didn’t participate. Yet participation declines with age, with only 41% of girls 14 to 19 reporting involvement in team sports, compared with 50% of boys.

'Profound concerns'

“Across demographics, young people share profound concerns about their safety, their ability to be themselves, their mental well-being and their future,” Shanna Marzilli, President and CEO of Plan International USA, said. “When girls are afraid to speak their minds and interest in public life is on the decline, it is a threat not just to youth today but also to the future of our democracy. We cannot expect young people to lead in the future if we fail to create safe environments for them now.”

“We need all young people to feel protected, heard, engaged and able to influence the future — and the research shows this is especially challenging for girls. The problems we face are too big and too many to solve without unleashing the talents of the entire generation that will inherit them — boys and girls,” Marzilli said. “This study is a wake-up call, and it’s telling us we must do better.”

'Because I Am a Girl'

To address these negative pressures on young people and emerging crisis in youth mental health and civic engagement, Plan International USA aims to mobilize action through Because I Am a Girl, a global movement dedicated to supporting girls’ safety, education and ability to shape their own lives.

From 2012-2018, Because I Am a Girl touched the lives of millions of girls, helped change laws and policies affecting girls and young women in 17 countries, raised hundreds of millions of dollars and contributed to landmark UN resolutions on child marriage. On International Day of the Girl 2026, Plan International USA relaunched Because I Am a Girl with the aim of locking in hard-fought gains for girls that multiple overlapping crises — from the COVID-19 pandemic to surging conflict globally — have put at risk.

About the research

Plan International USA commissioned this study to gauge how young people are internalizing inequality, experiencing online environments and shaping their ambitions. Its margin of error is ± 3.5 percentage points, and it builds on Plan International USA’s 2018 survey, “The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents,” also conducted by PerryUndem.

“Listening to U.S. Adolescents on Gender & Equality” aims to provide a resource for policymakers, media, parents and educators to understand how young people internalize inequality, experience social pressures and shape their ambitions.

About Plan International

Plan International works alongside girls and their communities so that every girl can learn, lead, decide and thrive. Its work is expressed publicly through Because I Am a Girl, a movement of people who believe girls’ rights are non-negotiable. For more than 85 years, Plan International has partnered with communities in more than 80 countries, with programs designed and led locally.

A movement for every girl who’s been told “no”

Because I Am a Girl is for people who believe every girl should be able to shape her own future.

Support girls now

Report & Resource
October 9, 2026

Listening to U.S. adolescents on gender & equality

Toxic online spaces, body image pressure and fear of being judged are harming young people across the United States, particularly girls, this nationwide study for Plan International USA finds. Polling and focus groups with more than 1,000 youths aged 10-19 from every U.S. region found an overwhelming 94% support gender equality, though most don’t see it yet. Most teens also said they distrust social media companies and government to ensure their online safety, while the percentage of young people who had considered running for elected office fell 12%, from around 33% in 2018 to 21% in 2026. This survey aims to gauge the lives and views of young people after eight years of momentous social and technological change, building on our 2018 study, “The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents.”

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September 29, 2026

Stock gift information

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September 29, 2026

Beneficiary designations

A simple way to plan a future gift

Naming Plan International USA as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your assets is an easy way to be sure that you are leaving a legacy of impact, as you intended: supporting children, families and communities around the world.

Benefits

Complete it in minutes with your plan provider, no attorney or cost required.
Update your designation any time your plans change.
Avoid income taxes your heirs might otherwise owe on inherited retirement assets.

How it works

Contact your plan administrator or financial institution.

Request a beneficiary designation form.

Name Plan International USA as a full or partial beneficiary.

Share your plans with us, so we can thank you and ensure we understand your intentions.

Questions? Contact:

Kelly Honecker
Director Principal Gifts
Phone: 401-552-5353
Email: [email protected]

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September 29, 2026

Wills and trusts

A powerful way to leave a legacy

A gift to Plan International USA in your will or trust is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to leave a legacy — one that changes children’s lives and strengthens communities around the world for generations to come. When you include Plan in your estate plan, you become part of a story that will outlive any one person. And should your circumstances or priorities ever change, so can your plans.