What does the Meta settlement mean for the UK? Five things we learned

Meta's $18bn (£13.3bn) settlement with nearly every US state is about more than money. As part of the deal, Facebook and Instagram have agreed to bring in several significant measures to protect children online - though Meta has not admitted to any wrongdoing. These include time limits, warnings over screen time and more parental controls over their children's accounts. At the moment, they will just apply to children in the US - but they could have an impact on the rest of the world. And if they ultimately set a precedent, other social media companies may be forced to take up the rules, too. The UK has its own measures in place to protect children online. The Online Safety Act mainly put restrictions on what content young people can see online. But the UK government has gone further than the US ban already. Earlier this year, it announced an outright social media ban for under-16s, which will take effect in 2027. Some other measures will apply to 16 and 17-year-olds, such as curfews and restrictions during certain hours of the day. The US has to some extent followed the same path: Start by policing the content on the platforms, then move on to restricting access to social media. Bu