Factbox-From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access

GDANSK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Australia in December became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.

Meta will pay up to $18 billion to resolve claims by U.S. states that Facebook and Instagram are designed to keep young users hooked, ending one of the highest-profile tests of allegations that social media companies harm children.