META TEEN SAFEGUARDS EXPECTED IN UK – Government says British teenagers should not have weaker protections than in the US
The UK Government says it expects Meta to extend new protections for teenagers to the UK, following the social media giant’s multi-billion-dollar settlement in the United States over alleged online harms to children.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said young people in Britain should not have a lower level of protection than teenagers in the US. Meta has agreed to introduce measures including daily usage limits and restrictions on overnight access for teenage users in America.
But McFadden said the UK would not rely solely on the company to protect young people online. He said the government is planning to go further, with a social media ban for young people expected to be introduced next year.
The comments come after Meta agreed a 17-billion-dollar settlement with US states over allegations that Instagram and Facebook were designed to be addictive to children, while also claims were made over the collection of children’s personal data.
Meta has denied wrongdoing, but the agreement includes new safeguards for teenage users. The UK Government says it expects those protections to be applied to British teenagers as well.
