On Aug. 26, Meta Platforms agreed to up to an 18 billion dollar settlement in the United States, and Canada has reaffirmed its pursuit of significant youth restrictions on social media. Meta was sued by a coalition of states who accused them of knowingly addicting children to their products, improper collection of user data, and misleading consumers about their platforms’ safety.
Meta did not confirm being at fault, but will be making significant changes for youth safety to its platforms by limiting usage for teens 18-and-under to two hours only. With restrictions from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and midnight – 6:00 a.m. Meta has stated that this settlement will also help inform future conversations with other countries.
In light of the U.S. settlement, a representative from Canadian Heritage reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, which went through First Reading in the House of Commons in June. This bill restricts the use of social media for those under 16, would set up a new digital safety commission, and create a “duty to protect children” for online platforms. This bill has faced criticism for potential risks to user privacy.
