GENEVA – The settlement between Meta and states attorney generals in the United States about alleged harms to children and adolescents marks an important milestone in platform accountability, but closed-door settlements cannot substitute for transparent, rights-based regulation, UN experts* warned today.
“The fact that platform design is being brought within the sphere of accountability is significant. But solutions to systemic risks should not be negotiated in ways that exclude the public, young people and affected communities, particularly when their effects may extend far beyond one company or one country,” the experts said.
The agreement includes default time limits, nighttime and notification restrictions, age-assurance systems, parental controls and the option to switch to non-personalised recommender systems for users under 18. Non-personalised recommender systems recommend the same items to all users, regardless of their individual preferences, history, or demographics and use aggregate data rather than personal data.
“These measures could create new risks,” the experts said. “Age-assurance technologies can be inaccurate and may require additional processing of personal data, with consequences for privacy, anonymity and access to information. Broad content or access restrictions may also affect young people’s rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and participation.”
The experts recognised that the principle of explainability was essential to prevent platforms from operating as opaque black boxes. Under this principle, users must be able to clearly understand how recommender systems and algorithms shape their digital experiences. Without algorithmic explainability, it remains impossible to verify if these design choices genuinely protect children or merely hide ongoing privacy and human rights risks.
“For many young people, especially those facing discrimination, isolation or exclusion, digital spaces provide access to information, communities and support networks that may not exist offline. Restrictions must therefore be necessary, proportionate and subject to rigorous assessment of their combined human rights impacts,” they said.
The experts also warned against placing excessive responsibility on children’s use or parental supervision while insufficiently addressing harmful design, engagement-maximising features, recommender systems, profiling and business models that may contribute to harm and affect adults as well as children.
They said the settlement has implications beyond Meta. It expressly contemplates “Industry-Wide Adoption” and links some of Meta’s obligations and financial provisions to comparable measures being adopted by other major platforms, including Snap, TikTok and YouTube.
“This makes democratic scrutiny even more important. A settlement negotiated with one dominant company should not, by default, become the regulatory standard for an entire industry or shape global practice without meaningful participation and independent human rights assessment,” the experts said.
They urged States to pursue coherent, evidence-based frameworks across platforms and jurisdictions, while avoiding blanket bans on young people’s access to social media.
“Compliance is not the same as effectiveness. The agreed measures must be independently evaluated for actual harm reduction, unintended consequences, and differential impacts on young people,” the experts said.
“Protecting children online requires safer design, meaningful accountability and global standards developed openly, with young people at the table and human rights at their core.”
