Meta Platforms agreed to pay up to $18bn to settle US claims that Instagram and Facebook harmed children, and UK ministers said they expect the company to extend the same protections to Britain.
The US deal requires new default teen protections including a two hours daily cap that only a parent can lift, a block between midnight and 6am, and restrictions on notifications at night and during school hours.
“We don’t want a situation where young people in America have got a higher rate of protection than young people in the UK,” Pat McFadden said on Sky News.
Ministers have already announced a ban on social media for children that they expect to take effect by early 2027, and have signalled default overnight curfews for 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds.
The settlement cut short a trial in Oakland brought by lawyers for 29 US states that accused Meta of hiding internal research about Instagram’s effects on teens.
Some measures in the US agreement, including limits on under‑18s displaying numbers of likes and cosmetic‑filter bans, go beyond existing UK proposals, and experts warned the changes stop short of a redesign that does not fundamentally redesign engagement‑driven features like infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendation.
Instagram is Meta’s photo‑and‑video app and the company has been moving age‑based defaults and parental controls toward wider rollout this year as regulators press platforms on child safety.
