New Delhi: Social media giant Meta is going to make the biggest and revolutionary change ever in the operating rules of its popular platforms Facebook and Instagram. Under the agreement reached in a historic lawsuit going on in the court in Oakland, California in the US, Meta will impose strict restrictions on the use of these apps for teenagers under 18 years of age. After the implementation of the new rules, access to these platforms will be blocked for teenagers throughout the night and the maximum time limit for using the app throughout the day will be fixed at only two hours.
Will tighten the screws on Meta
Attorneys General of more than 28 US states had filed a joint petition in the Oakland Court against Meta. In this case, serious allegations were made against the company that it deliberately included such algorithms and features in its apps which make children addicted to smartphones.
After two weeks of heated hearing in the court and evidence emerging, Meta chose the path of compromise.
Smartphone addiction and child safety
In the petitions filed in the court, Meta was accused of completely ignoring the safety and mental health of children for the sake of commercial profits. Due to constant screen time, consumption of notifications and comparison features on social media, serious mental problems like depression, lack of sleep and anxiety were increasing among teenagers.
Meta has not formally admitted any wrongdoing or mistake on its part in the court, but has talked about implementing new policy changes to ensure the safety of children. To settle this case, Meta has agreed to pay damages of about 14 to 17 billion US dollars and follow strict rules.
Hard block on night access
As per the terms of the agreement, Meta will add many new features to its platforms. Under this, the feed of the app will be completely closed (hard blocked) for teenagers between 12 midnight and 6 am, so that they cannot scroll till late night. Additionally, no push notifications will be sent between 10 pm and 7 am. During the day, teenagers will not be able to spend more than 2 hours in 24 hours using both the apps together. Although Meta has not yet clarified when these new technical rules will be fully implemented across the world, this decision is being considered a major victory in the history of accountability of Big Tech companies.