Technology, AI & Cyber
Meta must protect EU children too, Brussels says
The European Union expects Meta to offer stronger child-safety measures in Europe after the company agreed to major limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram in parts of the United States, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said Thursday.
“The ball is in Meta's court,” Regnier told reporters. He said Meta knew what Brussels expected and should offer commitments in the European Union “to protect our kids here too.”
The European Commission last month found Meta to be in breach of the Digital Services Act and ordered it to propose ways to make its platforms safer for children. Regnier said the Commission had held new exchanges with Meta since the US settlement and was seeking protection at least as strong as the US measures.
Brussels has raised concerns about Facebook and Instagram features including endless scroll, highly personalised feeds and automatic video playback. Regnier said the EU expected proper screen-time management and parental controls. The Commission issued a similar warning to TikTok in February.
Meta has said it disagrees with the EU's findings but would engage constructively. If Meta does not address the Commission's concerns, the EU can in theory impose a fine of up to 6% of the company's total worldwide annual turnover.
In the United States, Meta agreed to pay a coalition of states as much as $16.7 billion and accept new safeguards for young people, according to a court filing. A separate Texas agreement brought the overall settlement total to about $18 billion. The settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by Meta, which has denied the allegations.
The US safeguards include an automatic nighttime block and a cap of two hours of cumulative daily use across Meta's apps. An independent auditor chosen jointly by Meta and the states, and paid for by the company, is to monitor compliance for 10 years.
The EU is separately considering restrictions on social media access for young people. An expert panel reported back last month to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to outline proposed restrictions on September 16, with a legal proposal later this year.
The panel recommended no screens for babies and toddlers. It said children up to 12 should have only age-appropriate social media under adult supervision, while people aged 13 to 18 should be granted gradually more autonomous use of platforms that have introduced key safety features.
Update
The European Union is also considering restrictions on young people's access to social media.
An expert panel reported back last month to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen is expected to outline proposed restrictions in a keynote speech on September 16, with a legal proposal later this year.
The panel recommended no screens for babies and toddlers, adult-supervised age-appropriate social media for children up to 12, and gradually more autonomous use for ages 13 to 18 on platforms with key safety features.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 August 2026 at 13:34:34 UTC.
Update
European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said the EU had new exchanges with Meta since the US settlement.
Regnier said Meta must offer commitments in the European Union to protect children there too.
The European Commission had ordered Meta last month to make its platforms safer for children or face heavy fines.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 August 2026 at 10:57:36 UTC.
Update
The European Union said after the US settlement that it expects Meta to protect children too.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 August 2026 at 10:34:13 UTC.
Update
A federal judge in California quickly approved the settlement.
A separate Texas agreement raised the total payout to around $18 billion.
The settlement ends the California trial in its second week.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 23:35:47 UTC.
Update
The settlement would not cover thousands of personal injury claims or school district litigation against Meta.
Meta had warned that losing in court could have exposed it to more than $1 trillion in penalties.
Compliance would be monitored for 10 years by an independent auditor chosen jointly by Meta and the states and paid for by Meta.
The payment schedule provides for 10 annual installments, with California due $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion and New York up to $1.13 billion.
If competing platforms adopt equivalent commitments, the overnight lockout would widen to 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and daily use limits would tighten.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 14:55:00 UTC.
Update
The proposed settlement requires court approval to take effect.
The filing says the agreement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by Meta.
Teen accounts would by default be blocked from Facebook and Instagram between midnight and 6:00 am local time.
Teen accounts would by default be limited to two hours of cumulative daily use across Meta apps.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the changes would be implemented within months.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 13:54:22 UTC.
Update
Meta agreed to pay US states as much as $16.7 billion, according to a court filing.
The proposed settlement would impose new limits on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram.
The filing would end the California trial.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 13:39:56 UTC.
Update
A filing says Meta has settled with US states in the teen safety case.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 August 2026 at 13:31:07 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The EU's wider proposal on youth social media access has not yet been formally presented.
Some US settlement terms require court approval to take effect.
Source
AFP news report published on .