The United Nations (UN) has called for broader reforms across the social media industry following Meta’s agreement to introduce new measures aimed at protecting young users.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said Meta’s proposed changes, including daily time limits and parental supervision tools, were consistent with measures he had previously advocated. However, he stressed that more needed to be done.
In May, Türk’s office published a 10-point framework outlining recommendations for regulating social media platforms. The proposals included stronger data privacy protections, safer platform design and improved age-verification systems to prevent children from being exposed to addictive features.
The framework, however, stopped short of recommending outright bans on children using social media platforms.
Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose state was among those leading the legal action against Meta, said he wanted other major platforms, including TikTok, to adopt similar safety measures.
Meta agreed on Wednesday to introduce several changes as part of a settlement that brought an end to a lawsuit brought by US states. The company said the measures would have greater impact if other major social media platforms followed suit.
Bonta told CNBC that he was interested in engaging with TikTok and YouTube over similar reforms. He said TikTok had also expressed interest in discussions.
He added that he had already been in contact with Snap, another platform widely used by young people.
Bonta warned that if social media companies failed to voluntarily introduce stronger protections, he was prepared to consider further action.
Under the settlement, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to 48 US states, the District of Columbia and three US territories over 10 years.
Of the total amount, $5.3 billion is dependent on YouTube and TikTok also introducing measures including:
- 1. A one-hour daily usage limit
2. Night-time restrictions
3. Stronger age-assurance systems.
Meta did not admit to wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
By : Rachael Djabakie