Meta's US safety settlement may not extend to Australia

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has reached a landmark settlement with 29 US states, agreeing to pay a record $23.6 billion over 10 years. This agreement, hailed by some as social media's "big tobacco moment," forces the tech giant to implement significant changes to its platforms' default settings for users under 18 in the United States.

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We've seen a number of different lawsuits that have gone against Meta in the last number of months. So I think they saw the writing on the wall.

The settlement comes after a trial alleging Meta's platforms were intentionally designed to addict young users. Key changes for US teens include two-hour time limits across Facebook and Instagram, mandatory night and school modes to limit notifications and app usage, hidden likes, and blocking "extreme" beauty filters. Additionally, US teens will have the option to switch to a chronological feed, moving away from algorithms designed to maximize scrolling time.

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The reckoning is happening before our eyes after 15 years of … I guess you would call it a free-for-all.

While the settlement is seen as a groundbreaking step towards greater online safety, its benefits may not automatically extend to Australian users. Experts like Johanna Weaver, executive director of the Tech Policy Design Institute, note that there is no requirement for Meta to implement these changes in Australia. "Traditionally they roll out region by region and it doesn't mean that Australia will necessarily be top of the list," Weaver stated.

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Meta has been forced into a position where they've had to make undertakings to make their platforms safer. We just hope that at some point they will just have to throw their hands up.

Professor Lisa Given from RMIT University suggests that Meta's agreement is a strategic move, as the company has faced numerous lawsuits recently. She believes the changes Meta has agreed to are likely ones the company is "comfortable" making. Dany Elachi from the Heads Up Alliance, a parent group focused on children's online safety, expressed hope that Australian children would eventually benefit, though he remains skeptical about Meta's full compliance. "Meta has been forced into a position where they've had to make undertakings to make their platforms safer," he said.

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There's no requirement under this court case for things to change in Australia. Traditionally they roll out region by region and it doesn't mean that Australia will necessarily be top of the list.