Britain expects Meta to introduce the same child protection measures as in the US
The UK government expects Meta to introduce for minors in the country the same safety measures that the company agreed to in the United States as part of a legal settlement that could cost it up to $18 billion. The Guardian reports, citing Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden.
The settlement ended a court case in Oakland, California. Lawyers for 29 US states accused Meta in the case of concealing internal research which, they claimed, indicated that teenagers were addicted to Instagram.
Measures for users under 18
Under the agreement, Meta agreed to introduce a default two-hour daily usage limit for people under the age of 18. Only parents will be able to override this restriction.
Users under 18 will also be blocked from accessing the platform from midnight to 6 a.m., while notifications will be blocked by default at night and during the school day. Other measures agreed in the US include a ban on showing minors the number of likes and reactions, as well as a ban on image filters linked to cosmetic procedures.
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Meta called on TikTok and YouTube to apply the same standards so that teenagers use social media in a healthy and responsible way.
Position of the UK government
McFadden said the British authorities do not want to allow a situation in which young people in the US have a higher level of protection than those in the UK. In June, Keir Starmer's government announced its intention to introduce a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16 by the beginning of 2027.
In July, the authorities also announced default nighttime restrictions from midnight to 6 a.m. for users aged 16–17, as well as the disabling of features designed to keep people in apps for longer. McFadden stressed the need to address endless scrolling, which, he said, causes addiction among young people.
At the same time, experts expressed doubts that the measures agreed by Meta would eliminate the main causes of compulsive platform use. Rachel Kent, a lecturer at King's College London, noted that endless feeds, autoplay and algorithmic recommendations remain, although restrictions are being introduced around them.
