The efforts of Arab governments to reduce the risks of social media platforms pale in comparison to their counterparts in Europe and America. While Meta in the United States paid billions of dollars in settlements, and some other countries, such as Australia, banned children and minors from accessing the platforms, Arab countries are still debating how to deal with social media platforms.
The past few months have seen a variety of fines and restrictions imposed on social media platforms, most notably the recent settlement paid by Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, in a broad case involving more than one state.
Australia also imposed a comprehensive ban preventing children and minors under 16 from accessing social media platforms, and compelled the platforms to enforce this ban. When it perceived laxity in enforcing the ban, it decided to double the fines imposed on platforms that failed to comply, according to a report by the American news network NPR.
In the Arab region, the UAE is leading the way in banning social media platforms and protecting children and minors, followed by Egypt , while the rest of the countries in the region have not yet announced similar steps.
Platforms cause addiction among children and minors
The settlements reached by Meta – under an agreement with several US states at the end of last August – are one of the most prominent government steps to counter the damages of social media platforms.
the company was forced to pay a separate fine of up to $567 million by a judge in New Mexico, after Judge Brian Bedshed ruled that the company had created a public nuisance and ordered it to put up clear information about protection features, best practices and tools for dealing with inappropriate comments, according to a report by the British network Sky News.
This fine comes on top of a previous fine imposed by a jury last March, after it ruled that the company knowingly and deliberately harmed the mental health of children, bringing the total fines that Meta must pay in the state to about $1 billion.
The European Commission also imposed a series of similar fines on Meta totaling approximately $841 million for abusive practices related to classified ads on the platform, according to a previous report by the Associated Press.
Settlements amounting to billions of dollars
In all cases, the court rulings against Meta were not limited to paying fines and compensation, but extended to modifications and changes that included the way the platforms and their algorithms work.
In the United States case, the company agreed to limit the use of its social media platforms by teenagers and minors to a maximum of two hours per day, and to prohibit any use from midnight until 6 a.m. without parental consent, as well as to ban the use of the platforms in schools and educational districts.
The Australian government has also accelerated its efforts to ban children and minors under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, including Meta platforms, and has approved doubling the penalties and fines for companies that fail to implement this ban.
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