The European Commission is awaiting proposals from Meta to rein in the addictive design features built into its social media platforms, a commission spokesperson said.
The pressure comes as governments worldwide move to limit children’s exposure to harmful online content. Australia introduced a world-first measure late last year barring children under 16 from using social media.
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“We have been very clear .. we expect proper screen time management, we expect proper parental control on these platforms. Meta knows … the ball is in Meta’s court,” the commission spokesperson said.
In a statement, Ireland’s Department of Communications said investigations were continuing into whether certain social media companies had violated their obligations to protect children online.
“As the protection of children and young people online is a key theme of Ireland’s EU Presidency, we will give priority to the negotiations on those proposals as soon as they emerge,” it said.
The Irish Government has previously backed restrictions on children’s social media use, but has repeatedly said it would prefer any ban to be introduced across the EU.
Last month, EU regulators accused Meta’s Instagram and Facebook of violating technology rules, focusing on features they said were engineered to keep users engaged. The company was told to address autoplay and infinite scroll or face potential fines.
The European Commission said Meta had not properly evaluated the addictive risks associated with highly personalised recommendations, autoplay and infinite scrolling.
Meta disputed the findings in a statement, arguing that regulators had overlooked the “significant steps” it had taken to protect teenagers.
Call for new Meta measures to be applied globally
Earlier, South Korea’s media regulator said measures Meta has proposed to address potentially addictive features for young users should, ideally, be introduced worldwide.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) said social media companies needed to accept greater responsibility for protecting children and teenagers. It also highlighted seven bills before the country’s parliament that seek to strengthen online safeguards for young people.
The commission “believes that in order to create an environment in which Korean youth can use social networking services safely, it is necessary to strengthen social media providers’ responsibility to protect minors,” the regulator said.
The statement followed landmark US settlements announced yesterday, under which Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and make a series of changes to Facebook and Instagram. Several states had accused the company of creating products that contributed to youth addiction and damaged mental health.
The agreed measures include limits on usage time, tighter controls on notifications, stronger age-verification systems, an option for non-algorithmic feeds and the ability to hide “likes” and comparable engagement figures from younger users.
Among Meta’s proposed remedies, the KMCC said, changes to functions that can promote excessive use — including algorithm-driven recommendations, visible engagement figures such as likes and push notifications intended to bring users back — “would ideally be applied to youth users worldwide as well”.
South Korea has also been pursuing tighter oversight of minors’ social media use as concerns grow over excessive screen time and the influence of recommendation algorithms on young people’s behaviour.
The discussion reflects a wider international effort to make online spaces safer for children. However, proposed limits on minors’ access to social media have also prompted criticism over privacy and raised questions about how the rules would be enforced.
British government expects Meta’s new protections to apply in UK
In the UK, the government expects Meta’s new protections for teenagers to be extended to British users.
British Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said he did not want young people in the United States to receive “a higher rate of protection” than young people in Britain.
He added that the UK Government planned to go further by introducing a social media ban for young people next year.
Poland’s minister of digital affairs said this morning that he had asked the European Commission to impose a €250m fine on Meta.
“I also call on Meta to immediately introduce effective tools to eliminate scams, false advertising, and the promotion of illegal applications,” Krzysztof Gawkowski posted on X.
Meta deal shows firms can protect young users, Australia says
Australian regulators said Meta’s decision to limit teenagers’ use of social media demonstrated that companies already possess tools capable of providing stronger protection for young people online.
Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said social media companies “have the tools at their disposal to protect young people from their addictive features but have chosen not to use them”.
“That’s why Australia took world-leading action to create a minimum age for social media, and we are proud that more than 20 countries are joining us,” she added.
In the US, social media companies continue to face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts. Individuals, school districts, municipalities and other government bodies accuse the companies of deliberately designing platforms to addict children and contributing to a mental health crisis involving anxiety, depression and suicide.
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