The UK government is urging Meta to extend the same safety measures for children in Britain as those it has committed to in the United States, following a significant legal settlement that may cost the social media giant as much as $18 billion. The settlement in the US requires Meta to implement default protections for users under the age of 18, which include a two-hour daily usage limit that can only be increased with parental consent. Additional provisions involve limiting notifications during nighttime and school hours and restricting overnight access.
Officials in the United Kingdom have asserted that British youth should not experience a lower standard of protection compared to their American counterparts. In response, the UK government is actively preparing new regulations aimed at controlling children’s access to social media. These forthcoming measures include proposals to prohibit individuals under 16 from using certain platforms and the introduction of overnight curfews for teenage users.
This development has fueled growing demands for more stringent regulation of social media platforms. There is increasing pressure for companies to take significant action against features that are designed to promote excessive use, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and algorithmic recommendations.
Despite the positive reception of the settlement’s protective measures, some experts caution that time restrictions and curfews may not comprehensively tackle the concerns associated with engagement-driven features. These features are often criticized for their role in keeping users hooked to their screens, thus raising questions about whether the settlement’s stipulations will effectively address the broader challenges posed by modern social media usage.