(The Web Desk) – Meta, the social media company, lowered the minimum age for WhatsApp users in the UK and EU from 16 to 13. This made activists very angry.
The change was made public in February, and it became official on Wednesday. Smart Phone Free Childhood said that the move “goes against the growing national demand for big tech to do more to protect our children.”
“Letting anyone over the age of 12 use their platform (the minimum age was 16 before today) sends a message that it’s safe for kids,” it said.
Teachers, parents, and experts, on the other hand, say something very different. We’re sick of the tech giants putting making money for their shareholders ahead of keeping our kids safe.
The move made by WhatsApp brought the age limit in line with most countries’ laws, and the company said that everyone was safe.
Mark Bunting, who is in charge of Ofcom’s online safety plan, said that the government would not think twice about fining social media companies that didn’t follow its rules once it had the power to do so.
He told the Today show on BBC Radio 4 that Ofcom was making rules for keeping people safe online. “So when our powers start to work next year, we’ll be able to check up on them and see how well they’re doing,” he said.
“If they’re not taking those steps at that point and they can’t show us that they’re taking other steps that keep kids safe, then we can look into it.”
When we think changes need to be made, we have the power to tell them to do so.
“If they don’t follow those instructions, we can fine them, and we will not think twice about doing so if there is no other way to make the change we think is needed.”
Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta. This week, Meta released a set of safety features meant to protect users, especially teens and young adults, from “sextortion” and inappropriate use of private photos.
It was confirmed that Instagram would start testing a filter called Nudity Protection in direct messages. This filter will be turned on by default for users under the age of 18 and will blur pictures sent to users that are found to contain nudity.
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Users who receive naked pictures will also see a message telling them not to feel obligated to reply. They will also have the option to block the sender and report the chat.
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