Snapchat Considering Daily Time Limits for Teens, Boss Tells BBC
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Snapchat considering daily time limits for teens, boss tells BBC
By Lily Jamali, North America Technology Correspondent
Published 3 hours ago
The boss of Snapchat-parent Snap Inc says the firm would be "willing to implement" time limits for teens, following a call from Meta for it to take action.
Evan Spiegel told the BBC in an interview at the company's California headquarters that setting a maximum amount of time that young users could spend on the app could be "an important step forward for the industry."
His comments came as Snap revealed a slew of new features for its upcoming Specs glasses, which it said could connect to Apple iPhone and Mac devices.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been pressuring other social media companies to join it in making platform changes it agreed to as part of a recent multi-billion dollar legal settlement with US states.
In the settlement, Meta agreed to implement a two-hour daily limit for teen users across its platforms by default, in addition to muted notifications during school hours, blocks at night, and other measures.
"I think it is an important step forward in the industry in terms of really identifying industry norms, and I think that would be beneficial overall," Spiegel told the BBC. "We've looked really thoughtfully at the terms."
As part of Meta's August settlement, the company said it would implement even more stringent time limits and pay an additional $5.3bn if YouTube and TikTok follow suit. Meta has denied any wrongdoing as part of the deal, which will be paid over a 10-year period.
Last month, a Meta spokesperson said it was hopeful that Snap would make similar platform changes as well.
*When asked about the idea of a default time limit, Spiegel said: "I think that's a really good example of something that that we'd be willing to implement."
However, Spiegel did not commit to a timeline on when Snap might take action.
"That's something we've talked about internally," he said. "I don't have more to share today."
He noted that Snap offers tools through its Family Center feature, which currently enables parents to track aspects of how their teens are using Snapchat.
"We want to figure out how we can be part of the solution," Spiegel added.
YouTube-parent Google said it had no comment when asked if it planned to implement the measures in Meta's settlement. TikTok did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
Snap's smart glasses
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Evan Spiegel wearing the glasses at an event in June
Spiegel was talking to the BBC as Snap Inc announced new features for its upcoming Specs glasses.
He said the smart eyewear would use AI to suggest things for people to do based on what the tech learns about their goals, relationships, and routines.
"Rather than the way that people use chatbots today where you constantly have to ask for stuff, Specs can understand what's important to you, and then offer recommendations or offer next steps," Spiegel said.