Meta has agreed to an $18 billion settlement with nearly every US state, the District of Columbia, and three territories to resolve legal challenges regarding its impact on young users. While the company has not admitted to any wrongdoing, the deal mandates the implementation of new safety features for minors on Facebook and Instagram, including screen time warnings, usage limits, and enhanced parental controls.
The financial component of the deal will be distributed over a decade, with 30% of the total payout contingent upon competitors like TikTok and YouTube adopting similar safety standards. Meta has publicly urged its rivals to match these measures, citing a desire for a level playing field. While New York state plans to allocate its share of the funds toward mental health services and educational programs, the settlement excludes Florida and New Mexico.
The agreement also addresses data privacy, requiring Meta to restrict the use of personal data from minors to age estimation purposes. The company continues to advocate for age verification to be managed by app stores rather than individual platforms, a stance that has drawn scrutiny from privacy advocates concerned about the collection of additional user data.
The impact of these changes may extend beyond the United States. The UK government, which is preparing to implement its own social media restrictions for under-16s by 2027, is monitoring the situation closely. Industry experts suggest that the US settlement could empower other nations to demand similar protections from tech firms. Despite these developments, campaigners argue that the measures do not fully address concerns regarding the nature of content accessible to young people on social media platforms.
Source: BBC News
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