State of Texas: Meta settlement to bring social media child safety changes

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State of Texas: Meta agrees to implement social media safety measures for children

State of Texas: Meta agrees to implement social media safety measures for children

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AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Meta, the social media giant, will pay $1 billion and implement new child safety regulations on its platforms as part of a settlement with the state of Texas. The agreement settles a lawsuit over accusations that the companies social media platforms harmed children.

The Texas Attorney General Office said Meta will be required to implement guardrails on its platforms for children. Those include:

Stricter age-assurance measures

Daily two-hour limit for teen users

Notifications disabled during school hours

Likes and reactions on posts hidden

Nighttime restrictions

Limit age-inappropriate content

Support parental supervision

While the result of the settlement is encouraging, some child health experts worry the changes may not address some of the most pressing issues.

“I’ve been looking through some of the changes that are a result of the settlement and I’m encouraged, but in my view, it just doesn’t go far enough,” Dr. Daniel Frint, a pediatric psychologist at Texas Children’s Hospital said.

One big concern is that the algorithm that drives what people see on Meta’s social media apps is designed to keep people scrolling. Dr. Frint says that can be particularly harmful for younger people.

“I would like to see a world where an algorithmically targeted For You page does not exist for children,” Frint said. He elaborated on the evolution of social media apps and the impact on younger people.

“Social media used to be logging on and checking on your friends’ posts or following pages that you were interested in, and once you got........

© The Hill