Meta adopts stricter controls to protect teens on social media

Meta says it has reached an agreement with 52 bipartisan U.S. state attorneys general to introduce stronger protections and parental controls for teenage users of its social media platforms.

Its Chief Legal Officer, Curtis Mahoney, made the disclosure in a statement on Wednesday.

It was reported that “bipartisan” means the agreement has support from representatives of both major U.S. political parties, not just one.

According to Mahoney, the framework will make it easier for parents to control how their children use Meta platforms and will include measures to curb excessive and inappropriate use by teens.

He said that the new commitments included time limits, night mode features, and restrictions on social media use during school hours.

According to him, the measures were designed to give families greater control over teenagers’ online activities while encouraging healthier patterns of social media use.

Mahoney said Meta’s approach recognised that protecting teenagers online required more than individual parental controls, given the number of social media platforms available to young people.

Mahoney said that because teenagers move easily between dozens of apps, an industry-wide solution was needed.

He also called on other major social media companies, particularly TikTok and YouTube to adopt the framework to ensure that teenagers received consistent protections across different platforms.

Mahoney said the new rules represented an important step in Meta’s efforts to support parents while creating a safer online environment for teenagers.

“As a parent, I am proud of both the work Meta has done to protect kids historically, and of this new groundbreaking agreement,” he said.

He, however, said the effectiveness of the agreement would depend significantly on other social media platforms implementing comparable safeguards across their services.

Mahoney said Meta’s commitments would also be subject to independent monitoring to provide participating states with an objective assessment of the company’s compliance.

He said an independent auditor would review Meta’s compliance with the agreement annually for five years and report its findings to the states involved.

According to him, the independent review will provide continuous oversight and help ensure that the commitments are implemented rather than remaining broad policy promises.

Mahoney said Meta would continue engaging with parents, policymakers and regulators around the world to improve its understanding of how best to support teenagers online.

He said the company remained committed to empowering parents and developing measures that could help teenagers have safer and more responsible experiences on its platforms.

He noted that the agreement covered 52 jurisdictions, including U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia, with participating jurisdictions spanning across Alabama, California, New York, Texas, Washington and others.

Mahoney said Meta hoped the agreement would encourage broader cooperation across the technology industry, particularly as teenagers increasingly moved between multiple social media platforms.