Meta’s new safety measures for teenagers on Facebook and Instagram will initially apply only in the US, despite interest from the UK government in introducing similar protections. The policy stems from a settlement over claims concerning children’s privacy and social media addiction, and matters because it raises questions over whether young people outside the US will receive equivalent safeguards.

The measures include a default two-hour daily limit and a nighttime block for users aged 13 to 17, though parents can make restrictions less stringent, alongside reminders about non-algorithmic feeds. Meta may tighten the limits if TikTok and YouTube adopt comparable steps, but its commitment currently lasts five years; it will pay US states up to $18 billion under the settlement. UK minister Pat McFadden said the government expects comparable protections in Britain, while Meta said it would monitor the US changes and continue discussions with other governments.