tech
UK expects Meta to match US child safety measures after $18bn settlement
Minister calls for Instagram owner to extend sweeping new safeguards for young users to Britain
TL;DR
- UK government expects Meta to apply US child safety measures to Britain.
- Meta agreed to a settlement in the US potentially costing up to $18 billion, involving measures like default time limits for under-18s.
- These US measures include a two-hour daily time limit, a midnight to 6 am block, and default notification blocks at night and during school hours.
- Restrictions not proposed in the UK include bans on under-18s displaying like counts and on cosmetic filters.
- The UK plans to implement an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s by early 2027, along with default overnight curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds.
- Global trends show increasing restrictions on children's social media access, with countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, France, and Turkey enacting bans or limits.
- Critics suggest the US settlement measures do not fundamentally address addictive app design, such as infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations.