Will child safety risks persist on Facebook, Instagram in India? Here’s what we know about juvenile protection from Meta | Today’s news
Meta’s new protections for young Facebook and Instagram users will initially only apply to Americans, Bloomberg reported. The measures are part of an agreement regarding alleged safety risks to children.
Meta could pay more than $18 billion in combined settlements. Its new rules will limit the daily time of younger users on both platforms. It will also limit attempts to disable important security settings.
However, Meta has not yet announced any similar guarantees for children in India. The company has not provided any timetable for the expansion of these protections. According to a company spokesperson, Meta will follow the US changes.
Governments around the world are investigating the potential impact of social media on children. Over two dozen countries have introduced or are considering restrictions.
Britain plans to ban the use of social networks among children under 16. She also proposed nighttime restrictions for older teenagers.
British minister Pat McFadden said American children should not get better protection.
“It’s interesting that they decided to settle yesterday rather than go ahead with it. That’s a huge problem for parents in this country and governments around the world to regulate this,” McFadden told the BBC.
“We don’t want a situation where children in the US have a higher level of protection than children here,” he added.
The distinguished settlement of Meta
On August 26, Meta reached a landmark settlement involving 47 states and several US territories. The owner of Facebook and Instagram could pay up to $17.1 billion in penalties. They must also introduce major protections for younger users.
The states accused Met of violating child and consumer privacy laws. They claimed its platforms used addictive features that put children at risk.
Meta agreed to limit daily use by teenagers and limit features linked to mental health concerns. Notifications may be stopped during school hours and at night. Teenagers will also receive prompts to encourage them to take regular breaks.
The deal ended the federal trial in Oakland. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey sought nearly $200 billion. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers approved the settlement.
“The goal of this case was to protect our children: to stop alerts and notifications at night and when they’re at school, to encourage them to take breaks from social media, to protect them from harmful features,” the New York Times quoted Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser as saying in a statement.
Meta separately settled similar charges in Texas for about $1 billion. However, the company still faces lawsuits from school districts and individuals. Some cases are expected to go to trial in the coming months.
