Bowing to intensifying criticism that its products are addictive and harmful to young people, Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. said Tuesday it will limit the type of content teenagers who use Facebook and Instagram are able to view.
In a blog post, Meta
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said the new protections are intended “to give teens more age-appropriate experiences on our apps.” The updates will limit users under 18 to more restrictive settings, prevent them from searching certain topics and prompt them to update their Instagram privacy settings.
Meta expects to complete the update over the coming weeks.
The change comes after a bipartisan group of 42 state attorneys general in October sued Meta on charges its products have led to mental-health problems in teenagers, including eating disorders and body dysmorphia.
Read more: States sue Meta over alleged harm to children on Facebook, Instagram
“Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement announcing the lawsuits.
Meta whistleblower Arturo Bejar told a Senate subcommittee in November that Meta was aware of the harms its products had on teens but that it failed to take action.
Read more: Former Facebook employee testifies company failed to act on teen harassment
Meta has faced a torrent of condemnation over the effects of its content on younger users, prompting Salesforce Inc.
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Chief Executive Marc Benioff and others to compare the social-media giant to Big Tobacco, and rival Apple Inc.
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to blast Meta’s data-privacy policies. The criticisms have dogged Meta as it tries to woo younger users with its push into the metaverse.
“Meta will always promise to change, ‘do better,’ and protect kids online, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing but lip service, because [Meta CEO] Mark Zuckerberg and Meta senior executives refuse to make fundamental changes to improve safety and protect kids’ privacy,” Sacha Haworth, executive director of The Tech Oversight Project, said in a statement to MarketWatch.
Shares of Meta were flat in late-afternoon trading Tuesday.
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