On September 17, a press release arrived in my inbox. This was Meta, which owns Instagram, Whatsapp, Facebook and Messenger. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, it happens all the time. Only this one was different. It was in fact about announcing the biggest upheaval in the short history of Instagram, the creation of specific “teen accounts”.

In short, this means that all existing accounts owned by people under 18 would be moved to new accounts with built-in restrictions, including greater parental controls for children under 16. Any child signing up from this week would automatically benefit from one of the new “safer” accounts. accounts.

The reality of the new teen accounts may not quite match the press release’s hyperbole, but Meta didn’t have to make that change. Was it the specter of the OSA that forced their hand? Yes, but only in part.

It would be wrong to think that all the positive changes aimed at protecting children online are due to the OSA perspective. The UK is just one player in a global push to curb the power of big tech. In February this year, the EU’s Digital Services Act came into full force, imposing a transparency obligation on big companies and requiring them to report on illegal or harmful content.

In the United States, federal legislation appears to be at a standstill, but lawsuits are targeting the biggest social media platforms. Families of children harmed by their exposure to harmful content, school boards and attorneys general in 42 states are suing the platforms. Lawsuits are brought under consumer protection laws. In these cases, the claim is that social media was designed to be addictive and does not provide adequate protections for children. They are demanding billions of dollars in compensation.

The influence of Molly Russell’s story is also significant here. I met with some of those filing these lawsuits and their lawyers. They all know his name. Just like the top executives of Silicon Valley. Long before the OSA became law, companies were starting to introduce better content moderation.

That said, Ian Russell believes there is still much to do.

“As companies continue to move quickly and break the rules, timid regulation could cost lives… We must find a way to move faster and be bolder.”