Teen users of social media platforms Instagram and Facebook are set to experience changes in response to a major agreement by Meta, the parent company. The agreement involves making platform design adjustments for young users and a financial commitment of up to $18 billion US over the next ten years to address claims of online harms to youth from nearly all U.S. states and territories.
A group of U.S. attorneys general has labeled this agreement as the most significant state consumer protection settlement in history, comparable to the Big Tobacco settlements from the 1990s. Canadian tech analyst Carmi Levy remarked, “The social media industry is at a turning point, reminiscent of the tobacco industry’s past challenges. This marks a significant shift for Meta and similar companies going forward.”
What modifications will affect teens?
New measures are on the horizon for Instagram and Facebook users under 18, including:
- Time limits and breaks: A default daily time limit of two hours across both platforms, along with prompts and breaks after 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous usage to disrupt excessive scrolling.
- Blackout periods: Restrictions on most usage between midnight and 6 a.m. and muted notifications during general school hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (excluding essential alerts).
- Enhanced feed control: The option to select a non-algorithmic feed by default, periodic reminders about this feature, and the ability to disable autoplaying content.
- Restrictions on social comparison features: Concealing “like” counts/reactions and prohibiting “extreme makeup” filters.
- Improved age verification and content restrictions based on age.
Meta affirmed its commitment to maintaining the existing measures that prevent strangers from contacting teen accounts, as well as enhancing reporting tools and parental controls. Additionally, Meta pledged to reinforce some of the new measures, such as potentially reducing the daily time limit to one hour, if competing platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube implement similar changes.
As part of the settlement, Meta Platforms will pay up to $18 billion US to address claims that its apps were designed to addict children, misled consumers on safety, and improperly collected minors’ data.
Will Canadian teens be affected?
While the settlement pertains to the U.S. market, Canadian tech analyst Carmi Levy anticipates that these changes will likely extend globally in the near future, given concerns in numerous countries about the adverse effects of social media on youth.
Levy stated, “Historically, when tech companies like Meta introduce