The UK government is urging Meta to implement safety measures for British children akin to those established in a recent US legal agreement, which may cost the tech giant up to $18 billion. This American settlement requires Meta to set default safety features for users under 18, such as a cap of two hours of daily usage that can be extended only with parental consent. Other stipulations include restrictions on access during nighttime and school hours, as well as limits on notifications during these times.
British authorities emphasize that young people in the UK should not be afforded lesser protections than their American counterparts. In this vein, the government is looking to introduce new social media restrictions for minors. These proposals include potentially banning individuals under 16 from certain platforms and enforcing overnight curfews for teenage users.
The developments in the US have renewed calls within the UK for more stringent regulation of social media companies. These calls are coupled with demands for greater scrutiny of platform features that are perceived to promote excessive use, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and algorithmic content recommendations.
While there is momentum for imposing time limits and curfews on young users, some experts caution that these measures might not sufficiently address concerns over engagement-driven features. These features are designed to keep users online longer and could undermine the effectiveness of any imposed restrictions.