Meta Platforms has a duty “to protect our children too,” a European Commission spokesperson said Thursday, following a US settlement that requires the company to take steps to protect minor users.
On Thursday, the company behind Facebook and Instagram agreed to pay roughly $18 billion to 47 US states that had sued over the platforms’ “addictive” design and unlawful collection of data from minors.
Under the settlement, Meta committed to imposing daily time-use limits and taking further steps to block minors from accessing inappropriate content.
Meanwhile in Europe, investigations into the company over the “addictive” design of Facebook and Instagram remain open, a case that could result in a substantial fine.
“We expect proper management of screen time, appropriate parental controls on the platforms… It’s now up to the company to propose adopting these commitments within the European Union to protect our own children as well,” said Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.
Brussels accuses Mark Zuckerberg’s company of failing to properly assess or sufficiently limit addiction risks for Facebook and Instagram users, particularly minors and vulnerable adults, due to features designed to hold their attention as long as possible.
“The ball is in Meta’s court,” and the company “knows what we expect from them,” Regnier said, adding that the Commission has been in contact with Meta since the US settlement was announced. “We are in ongoing dialogue to give our children here in the European Union comparable protection.”
Brussels is not satisfied with Facebook and Instagram’s current parental controls, which it considers overly complicated to manage, nor with the settings for limiting teenagers’ screen time.
Meta had disputed the Commission’s preliminary findings while also committing to work with the Commission to shape “a safe and positive online environment.”
The Commission’s investigation is being carried out under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the same framework under which Brussels made a similar request of TikTok earlier this year.
