Meta, the company owning Facebook and Instagram, was forced to implement significant limits on the use of its platforms by children and young people in the United States, after a historic defeat. The company reached a 14 billion euro agreement to avoid a trial related to practices targeted at minors.
The main changes implemented include daily usage limits, automatic nighttime blocking, removal of like counts on posts, and deep changes to the algorithm that recommended content to younger users.
This agreement comes following a legal process that found Meta had practices harmful to the mental health of children and teenagers on its social networks. The company chose to accept the imposed conditions instead of facing a trial that could result in even more severe sanctions.
The new rules apply exclusively to children's and young people's accounts in the United States, representing the largest overhaul ever imposed on a social media company regarding the protection of users under age.
