Snapchat Could Introduce Daily Time Limits for Teens After Meta Settlement

Snap Inc. President Evan Spiegel says the company is “ready to implement” time limits for teenage users, but he has not announced when the changes will begin.

Snapchat’s parent company is considering a default time limit for young users after Meta agreed to introduce similar measures across Instagram and Facebook.

Snapchat Considers Teen Screen-Time Limits

“Setting a maximum amount of time young users can spend on an app could be an important step forward for the industry,” Spiegel told the BBC during an interview at Snap’s headquarters in California.

When asked about a default time limit, Spiegel said it was “a very good example of something we would be happy to introduce.” However, he did not provide a timeline for when Snapchat might take action.

“That’s something we talked about internally,” Spiegel said. “I have nothing more to share today.”

Meta Pressures Social Media Companies to Act

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, recently agreed to implement a two-hour daily default limit for teenage users as part of a multibillion-dollar legal settlement with U.S. states.

The settlement also includes measures such as muting notifications during school hours and blocking them at night. Meta paid $12.7 billion and agreed to pay an additional $5.3 billion if YouTube and TikTok followed suit. The payments are scheduled to be made over 10 years.

Meta denies wrongdoing under the agreement. The company had faced allegations from attorneys general in most U.S. states that it intentionally designed its apps to be addictive to young users.

A Meta spokesperson said last month that the company expected Snap to make similar changes.

Snapchat’s Existing Parental Controls

Spiegel said Snapchat already offers parental tools through its Family Center feature. The feature allows parents to track how their teenagers are using Snapchat.

“We want to think about how we can be part of the solution,” Spiegel said.

Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap are all facing lawsuits alleging that their apps are contributing to a mental health crisis among young people. Snap is also accused of promoting the sale of illegal drugs.

Snap Reveals New Specs Features

Spiegel’s comments came as Snap announced new features for its upcoming Specs glasses. The company said the glasses will be able to connect to Apple’s iPhone and Mac devices.

Google, YouTube’s parent company, declined to comment when asked whether it planned to implement the measures included in Meta’s settlement. TikTok did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.