Meta agreed to make significant changes to Instagram and Facebook as part of the deal, which was struck during the second week of a landmark trial in Oakland, California.
As part of the deal, reported the BBC, Meta will introduce new safeguards for teenagers, including daily usage limits, as well as blocks on night-time access.
The settlement will only apply in the USA, but Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Sky News: “We don’t want a situation where young people in America have got a higher rate of protection than young people in the UK. But we’re not just leaving it to Meta. We’re taking action ourselves.”
As reported by the Guardian, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said: “Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families. Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms – and will do it within months.”
Meta has always denied wrongdoing, and Chief Legal Officer CJ Mahoney said the settlement would only be effective if it was implemented industry-wide: “Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution. We therefore call on our industry peers, TikTok, Snap and YouTube, to implement this new framework, right away. As a parent, I’m proud of both the work Meta has done to protect kids historically, and of this new groundbreaking agreement. But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta’s lead.”
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