In a landmark deal with potentially far-reaching beneficial impact on children, Meta Platforms on Wednesday agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next 10 years and strictly limit how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram. The agreement with almost all US states followed a trial over allegations that Meta’s products were harmful as its social media platforms are designed to get children addicted. The agreement, which cut short multiple lawsuits, requires Meta to disable most push-notifications to teenagers during school hours and enhance measures to prevent them from accessing age-restricted content. It is hoped that such limits can be tightened further if other social media platforms like YouTube and Snapchat adopt similar terms to help tackle growing social media addiction among youngsters.
The accord is being seen as an unprecedented template to resolve thousands of other lawsuits against social media companies. Not just the US, governments across the world are trying to grapple with the issue. Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil have banned or mandated strict parental control for social media use by children under 16; the UK is considering a similar move. Several Indian states are talking along the same line.
Social media addiction is known to cause a range of problems among the young, particularly mental health issues (depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep disruption); brain and cognitive effects (shortened attention span and reduced grey matter, particularly affecting parts of the brain linked to self-control and decision-making); withdrawal symptoms when staying offline (social isolation, lower productivity and strain in relationships)—all contributing to mental health issues. Many of these have ended tragically in suicides in India and elsewhere—which is why the Wednesday accord is viewed as a much-welcome development.
However, addressing these problems requires much more than what the deal promises. Experts—including influential social and cultural psychologist Jonathan Haidt—have pointed out that Meta’s still-running AI-powered recommendation engine continues to maximise engagement with harmful content. This brings into play the importance of responsible parenting, robust counselling (in academic institutions and outside) and governmental controls that pay close attention to the cultural contexts of countries and communities. The social, mental and neurological well-being of children is at stake. Such an immensely consequential issue cannot be left only to trust in a court agreement despite the hope it triggers.