cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/51177007
Think the roughly $18 Billion Meta has settled for over child safety is a slap on the wrist?
Wait until you see the actual details: ๐ Paid in annual installments over a 10-year period
๐ States receive the money, not the victims
๐ค 30% will only be paid if YouTube & TikTok:
"...pay an amount matching the 30% figure "...implement a one-hour Daily Limit, Night Mode, and age assurance measures"
https://about.fb.com/news/2026/08/agreement-with-state-attorneys-general-supporting-teens/
Meta even wrote a wonderfully open letter to their competitors!
Sadly now everyone will have to verify themselves, too bad for Meta, now they will have to collect even more data - which we know they totally oppose and hate ;)
I think limiting from the platform is not a good option. For some teens with a horrible family (domestic violence for example), social media maybe the only shelter they could turn to. Also, those companies tend to break open web and require an account and even verification in the name of protecting child. DNS blacklist enforced by parents is probably a better option IMO.
I was that teen! Online social platforms saved my life when abusive and helicopter-y parenting was gunning for the opposite. That was a different time, though, the internet has gotten significantly worse.
Seriously, people need to just be decent goddamn parents. I don't understand why you'd have a child these days if you don't know how to navigate parental controls on-device and on the network level. You'd be neglecting your child otherwise, shit's different nowadays.