Meta has agreed to a settlement with 47 US states that will cap how much time American teenagers spend on Facebook and Instagram. The limits do not apply in Denmark for now.
DR reports that American teenagers will not be able to check their Instagram feed after midnight under the deal. They will also be limited to a combined two hours a day on Facebook and Instagram. Meta, the company behind both platforms, entered the settlement on August 26.
The case had been heard at the courthouse in Oakland, California, where relatives of affected young people demonstrated. As part of the agreement, Meta is to pay 109 billion kroner to the states, according to DR. The New York Times reported that the deal covers 47 US states, and the BBC described the outcome as surprising.
A settlement, not a law
With the agreement, Meta meets critics who accuse Facebook and Instagram of being designed to steal young people’s sleep. Ask Hesby Holm, director of the association Digitalt Ansvar, told DR that it is an important step toward rules in the area. Per Holm, the era when tech giants like Meta were legally untouchable is over.
He also pointed to the weakness of the arrangement, which applies only between some states and a private company. According to Holm, that is not the same as consumer protection, and it is not a law. He added that someone in Silicon Valley could launch a new platform that has signed no settlement.
Pressure from the EU
The settlement may matter for the pending European case. As reported by DR, the European Commission decided in July that Facebook and Instagram breach the EU’s rules for digital platforms by being too addictive. Meta risks an EU fine of six percent of its global revenue.
Holm said he expects Meta to accommodate the Commission and offer some of the same restrictions it will introduce in the United States. Digitalt Ansvar therefore expects similar limits to reach Danish users of the two social media platforms. The association counts Børns Vilkår and Offerrådgivningen among its member organizations.
In the settlement, Meta also urges its competitors YouTube and TikTok to introduce the same restrictions voluntarily. According to DR, neither company has responded publicly to that call so far.
Holm said Meta is buying itself time and stopping the bleeding from the many lawsuits filed in the United States and elsewhere. He expects platforms and their algorithms to face tighter regulation, noting that legislation is moving forward in the EU and other places.
