Meta Teen Limits Put Child Safety Under Spotlight as UN Demands Safer Social Media

The Meta settlement has renewed international pressure on social media companies to make their platforms safer for children after the technology giant agreed to introduce major restrictions on teenage use of Facebook and Instagram in several US states.

The United Nations on Thursday called for child-safe design across the social media industry, warning that children should not have to rely on lengthy legal battles before companies address risks built into their platforms.

Meta agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion to a coalition of US states and introduce restrictions on teen use of its services, according to a court filing that brought a landmark California trial to an end.

The case involved allegations from states that Meta deliberately designed its platforms to keep young users engaged, failed to properly disclose potential risks and unlawfully collected information from children under the age of 13.

With Texas reaching a separate agreement, the total value of settlements involving almost all US states and territories rose to around $18bn.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk welcomed the changes but said they should not be limited to Meta or the United States.

“Children should not have to wait for a lawsuit to be safe online,” Turk said.

He added that the design changes agreed by Meta were consistent with recommendations from his office, but argued that governments and the wider technology industry needed to go further.

“Safe design should be applied across the industry,” Turk said, urging governments to act rather than wait for courts and technology companies to take the lead.

UN warns against addictive platform design

The UN’s intervention reflects growing concern over the way social media platforms are designed and how their recommendation systems can influence young users.

Turk had already called in May for stronger government regulation and greater responsibility from technology companies to make online services safer for children.

He said efforts should include improved platform design, stronger data protection, effective regulation, independent oversight and accountability.

The UN has warned that simply restricting access based on age does not address the underlying features that may expose children to harm.

According to the UN human rights office, platforms need to examine how their designs and algorithms operate rather than treating age verification as the sole solution.

Earlier this year, the office published 10 guidelines under the title “Getting Children’s Safety Online Right”.

The recommendations included making the strongest privacy protections for children’s data the default and prohibiting the commercial micro-targeting of children based on personal digital profiles.

The guidelines also highlighted emerging concerns involving artificial intelligence chatbots and features designed to encourage prolonged or addictive use.

The UN said certain risks could justify age restrictions, but stressed that any such measures should be independently monitored and backed by meaningful legal consequences.

Children whose rights are violated online should also have access to effective remedies, it said.

Peggy Hicks, a senior official at the UN human rights office, previously warned that technology companies faced a choice between changing how their platforms operate voluntarily or facing increasingly strict laws, court judgments and regulatory penalties.

EU turns attention to Meta

The dispute is also being closely watched in Europe, where regulators have increased pressure on major technology companies to address risks associated with social media.

The European Commission said it expects Meta to address potentially addictive features on its platforms in the European market following the US settlement.

Last month, the Commission found Meta in breach of the European Union’s Digital Services Act, part of the bloc’s wider effort to increase accountability among major technology platforms.

The Commission ordered Meta to propose changes aimed at making its services safer for children.

European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said Brussels had maintained contact with Meta since the US agreement and had been closely monitoring developments.

The European approach could add further pressure on the company as governments on both sides of the Atlantic examine whether existing safeguards are sufficient to protect young users.

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Wider implications for Big Tech

The latest developments underline a growing shift in how governments approach child safety online.

Rather than relying solely on parents or children to manage risks, regulators and rights organisations are increasingly demanding that platforms build stronger protections directly into their products.

For Meta and other technology companies, the debate could lead to greater scrutiny of recommendation algorithms, advertising systems, data collection and features designed to maximise user engagement.

The UN’s message is that protecting children online should become a standard responsibility across the technology industry rather than a response triggered only after lawsuits, fines or regulatory action.

As governments continue to tighten digital rules, technology companies face growing pressure to demonstrate that their platforms are designed with children’s safety and rights in mind from the outset.