The UK already has strict online safety measures designed to protect children and teenagers on social media.
Current online safety laws mainly focus on restricting the harmful or age-inappropriate content young people can access online.
However, the UK government has introduced proposals that could go further than the United States’ current approach to child online safety.
Earlier this year, ministers announced plans for a complete social media ban for children under 16. The proposed restrictions are expected to take effect in 2027.
Additional measures could affect 16- and 17-year-olds, including social media curfews and time-based access restrictions.
The United States has taken a similar step-by-step approach. Rather than introducing an immediate nationwide ban, policymakers and technology companies have focused first on moderating online content before considering tighter limits on social media access.
The key difference is that children in the United States are not facing a complete social media ban.
Instead, users may face overnight restrictions on Facebook and Instagram, daily time limits, and reminders for children who spend extended periods using the platforms.
Unlike the proposed UK measures, these changes are not currently required by law and apply only to two social media platforms, as outlined below.
The UK government said it was closely monitoring the outcome of the Meta settlement and its potential impact on child safety online.
Now that Meta has accepted these safety features in the United States, other countries could consider introducing similar protections for young social media users.
“These technology platforms typically don’t do anything unless they are told to do so,” Trevor Johnson, a former Meta and TikTok executive, told Radio 4’s Today programme.
“But I think the UK would feel it has the power to at least seek similar restrictions.”
Zvika Krieger, Meta’s former director, said the company agreed to the changes after recognising that stricter regulation was becoming increasingly likely.
“They’re trying to prove, ‘Oh, we don’t need a blanket ban,’” he told 5 Live Breakfast.
“I think we’ll probably roll out many of these capabilities in other parts of the world as well.”
Source: www.bbc.co.uk