San Francisco Frontiers - After US settlement, EU says Meta must 'protect our kids too'

The European Commission last month found Meta to be in breach of its Digital Services Act (DSA), one of several laws aimed at reining in Big Tech in the 27-nation bloc, ordering it to propose ways to make its platforms safer for children.

European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said the EU has had new "exchanges" with the firm since the landmark settlement in the United States, which he said Brussels had been following "very closely".

"The ball is in Meta's court," Regnier told reporters. "Meta knows what we are expecting from them. Now it is for the company to offer these commitments in the European Union to protect our kids here too."

Regnier noted the commission was probing Meta "for exactly the same suspicions" as those raised in the US case, and was in dialogue with the company to secure "at least equally good protection for our kids here in the European Union."

"We expect proper screen time management. We expect proper parental control on these platforms," he said.

Brussels has called out risks for children linked to Facebook and Instagram features including endless scroll, highly personalised feeds and the automatic playback of videos.

It issued a similar warning to TikTok in February.

Meta has said it disagrees with the EU's findings but would engage "constructively" on the matter.

Should Meta fail to address its concerns, the EU can in theory impose a fine of up to six percent of the company's total worldwide annual turnover.

The US deal saw Meta agree to pay a coalition of states as much as $16.7 billion and to impose sweeping new limits on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, according to a court filing ending a landmark trial in California.

The firm agreed to a long list of new safeguards for young people including an automatic nighttime block and a cap of two hours of cumulative daily use across Meta's apps.

The US changes go further than anything Meta has accepted before, and follow years of criticism from parents and experts over the effects of the world's biggest social media platforms on children.

- Social media curbs for kids -

The European Union has in parallel been mulling a ban on social media access for young people in response to a push by several member states to emulate Australia's example on the matter.

An expert panel reported back last month to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to outline proposed restrictions in a keynote speech on September 16 -- with a legal proposal later this year.

The panel of doctors, academics, youth representatives and parents recommended no screens at all for babies and toddlers, and that children up to 12 should only be allowed "age-appropriate social media" under adult supervision.

For those aged 13 to 18, they advised granting gradually more autonomous use of social media and other platforms that have "actively introduced key safety features".

"This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children," von der Leyen said last month, warning it was up to tech firms to "prove that their services do no harm."

M.Powell--SFF