Key facts
- Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said the company is willing to implement daily time limits for teen users.
- Meta has been pressuring social media companies to adopt platform changes agreed to in a legal settlement.
- Meta agreed to pay $12.7 billion and implement a two-hour daily limit for teen users across its platforms.
- Snap's new Specs glasses will use AI to suggest activities based on user data.
- The Specs glasses will retail for $2,195 in the US and £1,995 in the UK.
- Specs glasses will not use facial recognition and will flash a white light when recording.
Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel indicated the company is open to implementing daily time limits for its younger users, a move that follows pressure from Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook. Meta recently agreed to a multi-billion dollar legal settlement with US states, which included a default two-hour daily time limit for teen users on its platforms.
Spiegel told the BBC that setting maximum time limits could be an "important step forward for the industry" and that Snap has "looked really thoughtfully at the terms." However, he did not commit to a specific timeline for implementing such measures, stating only that it is "something we've talked about internally."
Snapchat already offers tools through its Family Center feature, allowing parents to monitor their teens' app usage. Spiegel expressed a desire for Snap to "be part of the solution" to concerns about youth mental health and app addiction, which have led to litigation against social media companies.
In parallel, Snap Inc. unveiled new features for its upcoming Specs smart glasses. These glasses are designed to leverage AI to offer personalized recommendations and augmented reality experiences, aiming to create a new category of wearable technology. The Specs glasses will retail for $2,195 in the US and £1,995 in the UK, targeting early tech adopters, developers, and enterprise users. They will feature live translation in 60 languages and will indicate recording activity with a flashing white light to inform bystanders.