THE government must “play its part” in holding big tech firms accountable, children’s charity NSPCC warned today.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told Sky News today that he would require Meta’s new US safety measures to apply to British users, after a multibillion-pound legal settlement.

Facebook and Instagram’s parent company agreed to pay $18 billion (£13.3bn) in an agreement which closed off a legal battle between 47 US states and the tech giant.

It also resulted in Meta introducing new protections for teenage users, after the states had accused the tech giant of deliberately designing addictive features which could also harm children’s mental health.

Asked by the broadcaster if the government would expect Meta’s new protection would apply in Britain, Mr McFadden said: “Yeah, we would.

“We don’t want a situation where young people in America have got a higher rate of protection than young people in the UK.”

He added that the government previously announced a ban on social media for young people to come into force next year.

“We’re also having night time curfews. We’ve got to do something about this endless scrolling, which is so addictive for young people.”

NSPCC charity CEO Chris Sherwood called the ruling a “truly landmark moment,” saying: “The courts in the US have shown the power that legal rules can have in forcing change to protect young people.

“Now governments around the world, including the UK, need to play their part in creating a safer online world for children by making sure they legislate so the law and regulation can hold big tech accountable.”