Meta must face legal responsibility, Danish media council says

Meta must be held legally responsible for protecting children and young people online, the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People says following the company’s settlement with 29 US states, according to DR.

Meta agreed to the settlement on Wednesday after the states accused the technology company of contributing to young people’s poor well-being by deliberately designing features that make children dependent on its platforms.

Meta denies wrongdoing as part of the agreement, according to settlement documents cited by Reuters. The company will pay almost 16.7 billion dollars to the states and introduce further measures intended to limit children’s and young people’s use of social media.

“The point of the settlement is to silence the 29 states that accused Meta. I do not expect this to make Meta change its behaviour, because this is their business. This is how they make money,” said Miriam Michaelsen, chairperson of the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People and a lawyer specialising in child protection and digital violations.

She said the settlement was relevant because Meta would pay a large sum, but argued that it was not sufficient.

“We do not need better parental controls. We need the technology companies to be held responsible, so that all children and young people are digitally protected,” Michaelsen said.

She called for court cases to establish clear requirements that could protect children in every country, including Denmark.

“We do not need more settlements. We need case law that other countries can rely on,” she said.

Meta’s platforms include Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

The European Union also considers Meta’s platforms potentially addictive for children and young people. Meta is being investigated for possible breaches of the EU’s Digital Services Act and could face a fine of six per cent of its global turnover if found guilty.

Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said the Commission would not comment on the US settlement. He added that Meta still had the opportunity to submit commitments in the EU case.

Michaelsen said she was certain the settlement would not affect children and young people outside the United States.

“I would be surprised if it applied to anyone other than the children and young people in the states covered by the settlement,” she said.