Following a substantial legal settlement in the United States that could potentially cost Meta up to $18 billion, the UK government anticipates that the company will extend similar safety protections to British children. In the US, Meta has committed to implementing default safety measures for users under 18, which include a two-hour daily usage limit extendable only with parental consent. Additional measures entail restricting overnight access and limiting notifications during nighttime and school hours.
UK officials have emphasized the necessity for British youth to receive protection levels on par with their American counterparts. The UK government is concurrently working on introducing new restrictions to regulate children’s access to social media. These plans include the potential banning of under-16s from certain platforms and enforcing overnight curfews for teenage users.
This US settlement has fueled increased demands for more stringent regulation of social media platforms. There is a growing call for decisive actions against features that promote excessive usage, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and algorithm-driven recommendations.
Despite these developments, some experts express skepticism about the effectiveness of time limits and curfews. They argue that such measures might not comprehensively address concerns related to engagement-driven features that keep users hooked.