Imagine a child scrolling through Instagram late at night. One video leads to another, then another. What was supposed to be ten minutes becomes two hours. The child may not realise how carefully the platform has been designed to hold their attention.
For years, parents have worried about this. Now, regulators are asking some serious questions too.
Meta's recent proposed settlement of up to $18 billion in the United States over allegations concerning children's safety is a landmark moment. The allegations centred on addictive platform features, risks to young users, and collecting kids' personal data without proper consent. While Meta has denied any wrongdoing, the proposed agreement commits the company to implementing significantly stronger safeguards.
