UK expects Meta to match US child safety measures after $18bn settlement

Minister calls for Instagram owner to extend sweeping new safeguards for young users to Britain The UK government expects the Instagram owner Meta to roll out the same protections for children in Britain as those it agreed in the US on Wednesday, as part of a court settlement that could cost the company up to $18bn (£13bn). Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, said on Thursday he did not want young people in the US to have “a higher rate of protection” than those in Britain, after Meta settled a lawsuit brought by dozens of US states accusing the company of harming children with dangerous products. As well as the payouts, Meta agreed to a default daily time limit of two hours for users under 18 that can be lifted only by a parent – a measure not currently proposed under plans to ban social media for under-16s in the UK – and a default block between midnight and 6am for under-18s, as well as default blocks on user notifications at night and during the school day. Analysts have pointed out the measures largely fall within the bounds of changes Meta has already been required to make elsewhere. But restrictions agreed by Meta in the US that have not been proposed in the UK in