'You only get like two hours of alcohol or two hours of cigarettes a day': Former Meta engineer on child safety settlement

Key Points:

• Meta has agreed to implement new child safety measures in the U.S., including enhanced age verification, a two-hour daily usage limit for users under 18, blocking app access from midnight to 6 a.m., and hiding "like" counts, with most safeguards in place for 10 years.
• The settlement requires Meta to strengthen its technology for detecting underage users and conduct regular independent audits to measure effectiveness, addressing past shortcomings in age verification.
• Some safety features, such as the two-hour time limit and night mode, will be enabled by default, while others like turning off video autoplay or chronological feeds will remain opt-in, drawing criticism from child safety advocates.
• Experts caution that while the settlement marks progress, it does not fully resolve ongoing issues, particularly concerning addictive content recommendations and the platform’s definition of harm.
• The settlement must be approved by a judge and is seen as a significant but initial step toward safer social media environments for children, with further efforts needed from technology, regulators, and market forces.