European Commission Urges Meta to Implement Permanent Child Protections Following US Settlement

The European Commission has requested that Meta provide commitments to protect minors in the European Union following a settlement reached between the company and 52 US attorneys general. The Commission is seeking guarantees that are at least equivalent to those agreed upon in the United States, with a specific emphasis on making these protections permanent rather than limited in time. Community spokesperson Thomas Regnier stated that the company must present concrete commitments to correct infractions related to addictive designs, including improved parental controls and screen time management tools.

The US settlement, which resolves lawsuits accusing Meta of creating addictive applications for minors, includes a payment of nearly 18 billion dollars over the coming years. Agreed modifications include a two hour daily limit on navigation for minors, a ban on notifications during school hours, and a night mode. Other optional measures include the ability to disable algorithmic recommendations and the infinite scroll feature.

Brussels has already conducted an investigation concluding that the designs of Facebook and Instagram violate the Digital Services Act. While the center lean coverage focuses on the general call for similar guarantees across the Atlantic, the center left lean coverage emphasizes the demand for permanent protections and provides detailed context on the specific technical restrictions and the broader global reaction, including a fine request from Poland and reactions from Australia.