Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has advocated for comprehensive safety reforms across the entire social media industry. His comments follow a recent settlement between Meta and nearly all U.S. states, which requires the tech giant to implement new child protection measures, including parental supervision tools and daily time limits.
While Meta has agreed to these changes, the company stated that such safety features would be most effective if adopted by industry peers. As part of the legal agreement, a portion of the $18 billion settlement—specifically $5.3 billion—is contingent upon competitors like TikTok and YouTube adopting similar safeguards, such as night modes and age verification protocols.
Türk emphasized that the responsibility for protecting minors should not rest solely on litigation or corporate goodwill. “Children should not have to wait for a lawsuit to be safe online,” he stated, urging governments to take a more proactive regulatory role. Earlier this year, the UN released a 10-point framework that encourages safer platform design and data privacy, though it explicitly advises against total bans on social media for younger users.
In the United States, officials are already pushing for broader industry compliance. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who played a key role in the litigation against Meta, indicated that he is in discussions with TikTok and has reached out to Snap. Bonta warned that he is prepared to pursue further legal action if other platforms do not voluntarily align their safety standards with the new requirements set for Meta. Meta did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement.
Source: BBC News
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