Meta's settlement with states over child safety introduces strict time limits and algorithmic restrictions for teen users.
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Meta's settlement with states over child safety introduces strict time limits and algorithmic restrictions for teen users.
Meta has agreed to a settlement with a large group of state attorneys general, resolving claims about the safety of young users on its platforms. The Verge reported the settlement involves 47 states, while TechCrunch noted 29 states brought the initial claims. The company will pay a substantial sum to states over a decade, with a portion of the payout contingent on rivals like YouTube and TikTok taking similar actions.
The settlement requires Meta to develop a standard for verifying users' ages, with accuracy rates varying for different teen groups. The company must link accounts owned by a single user to prevent rule evasion and provide an appeals process.
A central feature of the agreement is a daily two-hour time limit across Facebook and Instagram for teen users. After this limit, teens are locked out of the apps unless a parent grants permission, but messaging and viewing 'longform content' are exempt. The limit is cumulative, counting time spent on both platforms, and applies even if Meta detects someone using multiple accounts.
Teens will now have the option to choose a feed not personalized by Meta's algorithm as their default, a choice that has previously not been available. They will also be served notifications prompting a break after 15 minutes of continuous use, with additional 'productive pauses' after 60 and 90 minutes of total daily use.
A default 'Night Mode' will block teens from accessing the platforms entirely between certain nighttime hours, reported as midnight to 6 a.m. by TechCrunch or 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. by The Verge. Notifications will also be muted by default during school hours, set between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., allowing only direct messages and security alerts.
Meta agreed to disable certain filters for teen users, expanding existing bans on cosmetic surgery filters to also include filters applying 'extreme makeup'. The company will also make posts hide 'likes' for teen accounts to reduce social comparison.
The settlement bars Meta from making false or misleading statements about how well its safety features work. The majority of these new controls are required to stay in place for ten years.
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Meta just agreed to make sweeping changes for teens as part of a child safety settlement reached with attorneys general across the US. Under the agreement, Meta must apply new safeguards across Instagram and Facebook that will change how teens interact with the social media platforms, as well as restrict their use during certain times.
One of the most notable changes is that Meta plans to implement a daily two-hour time limit for teens that can only be disabled with parental permission.
The lawsuit alleged that Meta knowingly designed platforms like Instagram and Facebook to addict children, despite knowing about the harms the platforms could pose to young users.
Meta settled its latest kids online safety trial with a group of 29 state attorneys general, sparing it from the remainder of a trial that could have cost it hundreds of billions of dollars. Under the terms of the settlement, which resolves claims by a larger group of 47 states and several districts and territories, […]
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