Key facts
- Meta agreed to a $18 billion settlement with 47 U.S. states to implement child protection measures on Facebook and Instagram.
- The settlement mandates changes such as limiting minors' daily platform time, stricter age verification, and disabling cosmetic filters for teens.
- The European Commission is scrutinizing Meta under the Digital Services Act for alleged addictive design features and issues with under-13s access.
- EU regulators are seeking more substantial changes to the core architecture of Meta's platforms than those included in the U.S. agreement.
- Meta has not yet committed to applying the U.S. settlement's changes to its global user base.
The United States has secured a significant settlement with Meta, requiring the social media giant to implement child protection measures across Facebook and Instagram. This landmark agreement, valued at $18 billion and involving 47 U.S. states, mandates changes such as limiting minors' daily usage, enhancing age verification, and disabling cosmetic filters for teenagers over the next decade.
However, the European Commission views this settlement with a critical eye, suggesting the agreed-upon changes may not be as comprehensive as required by the EU's own stringent regulations, particularly the Digital Services Act (DSA). Former European Commissioner Thierry Breton noted that many of the U.S. measures are already covered by existing EU law, emphasizing the need for robust enforcement of the DSA.
European lawmakers and regulators are pressing Meta to align its child protection policies globally, or at least extend the U.S. concessions to European users. The Commission has been investigating Meta for over two years regarding addictive design features and the presence of underage users on its platforms. Unlike the U.S. settlement, the EU is pushing for more fundamental alterations to the platforms' engagement-maximizing architecture, such as autoplay and personalized feeds, rather than just access restrictions.
Meta has expressed disagreement with the Commission's findings and faces potential fines of up to 6% of its annual global revenue if it fails to reach a satisfactory agreement with the EU. The company has stated it will monitor the effectiveness of the U.S. changes before committing to a worldwide rollout, a stance that has drawn criticism from child rights advocates and policymakers in both Europe and the UK, who are seeking equivalent or stronger protections for their young citizens.