Social-media giant Meta has agreed to pay up to US$18 billion to US states and make changes to its Facebook and Instagram platforms, settling a legal case about whether its technology harms kids' mental health. But how effective will these changes be in protecting children and teenagers' The 26 August settlement, which is legally binding only in the United States, is the latest in a series of global efforts to protect kids from harmful social-media use. In the coming months, US Facebook and Instagram users under 18 years old will see a flurry of new restrictions on their accounts, including a two-hour daily time limit and a block on using the platforms between midnight and 6 a.m. Some of the restrictions will require the permission of a parent or guardian to be switched off. Research is divided on whether social media harms teenagers' mental health, and whether changes such as the ones announced by Meta can even be enforced. Australia banned social-media use by children under 16 in...
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