Meta's US Settlement and Global Ripple Effects
Meta's agreement to pay up to $18 billion and implement sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram has intensified global scrutiny of how social media platforms protect young users. The settlement, announced on Wednesday, resolved a lawsuit brought by dozens of US states that accused the company of harming children with products designed to be addictive. Under the terms, Meta will introduce a default daily time limit of two hours for users under 18—liftable only by a parent—along with a default block on activity between midnight and 6am for minors, and default restrictions on notifications at night and during school hours.
South Korea's media regulator, the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC), responded by calling for these measures to be applied worldwide. In a statement, the commission said social media companies must take greater responsibility for protecting minors and pointed to seven pending bills in the country's parliament aimed at strengthening youth online protections. The KMCC specifically highlighted Meta's proposed changes to algorithm-based content recommendations, display of engagement metrics like likes, and push notifications, saying they "would ideally be applied to youth users worldwide as well."
The UK government has also weighed in. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said on Thursday that he expects Meta to roll out the same protections in Britain, stating, "We don't want a situation where young people in America have got a higher rate of protection than young people in the UK." This comes as the UK prepares its own social media ban for under-16s, scheduled to take effect by early 2027, alongside default overnight curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds.
European and Global Regulatory Actions
The European Union has separately charged Meta's Instagram and Facebook with breaching its technology rules, citing failure to adequately assess addictive risks from personalised recommendations, autoplay, and infinite scroll. Poland's Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, has asked the European Commission to impose a €250 million fine on Meta. Meta has said it disagrees with the findings, pointing to steps it has taken to protect teenagers.
Australia enacted a world-first ban on social media for children under 16 late last year, and other nations are following suit. Indonesia began blocking children under 16 from social media in March, Malaysia followed in June, and France passed a law banning under-15s in July, according to the Tech Policy Press non-profit organisation. Turkey has also passed a similar bill, and 19 other countries are considering such measures.
Reactions and Skepticism
While the settlement has been welcomed by some, others remain cautious. The Molly Rose Foundation, set up by the father of Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 after experiencing despair on social media, called on the UK government to "seize this opportunity to deliver a reset to children's online safety." A spokesperson said, "Andy Burnham has now seen that it is possible to take on big tech to address drivers of online harm. It's time for the UK government to be brave, bold and decisive in ways it hasn't been before."
Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrats' lead on children and families, questioned why the UK still relies on "optional curfews, strongly worded statements and unworkable bans" when a US court could pressure Meta into significant changes.
Some experts doubt the measures go far enough. Dr Rachael Kent, a senior lecturer at King's College London, said the settlement "does not fundamentally redesign the engagement-driven model," noting that "infinite scroll, autoplay and algorithmic recommendation remain—but introduce limits and stopping points around them." Legal expert James Grimmelmann of Cornell University described the settlement as "a sign of vulnerability on Meta's part."