Meta gives kids two hours a day on Instagram and Facebook
Oakland: Kids under 18 will soon see a host of changes to their Instagram and Facebook experiences thanks to a historic $18 billion settlement Meta Platforms reached Wednesday with 48 US states. Besides the money, which will be paid out over a decade, Meta has agreed to strengthen its age estimates to keep kids under 13 off its platforms and teens in age-appropriate accounts, enact a hard limit…
In a historic $18 billion settlement, Meta Platforms recently agreed to implement several changes to its Instagram and Facebook platforms. The changes, which will be paid out over a decade, include strengthening age estimates to keep users under 13 off the platforms and teens in age-appropriate accounts. Additionally, Meta will enact a hard limit of two hours a day for users under 18, block kids from using the apps from midnight to 6 am, and hide "like" counts.
While acknowledging these changes are a significant milestone in child safety, critics and children's advocates caution that the settlement will not solve Meta's many problems overnight. Former Meta engineering director Arturo Bejar expressed concern that the settlement allows Meta to define "harm" and that the platform's addictive content recommendations could still distress teens even when they hit the two-hour limit.
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