Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement over social media harms to children
- On Wednesday, Meta agreed to settle a landmark lawsuit with 47 states for up to $17.1 billion, implementing new safety features for users under 18 and ending a federal trial in Oakland, California.
- A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging Meta deliberately designed addictive features like infinite scroll that harmed youth mental health while misleading the public about safety.
- Mandatory changes include default two-hour daily time limits, overnight access blocks from midnight to 6 a.m., and stronger parental controls. An independent auditor will monitor compliance over a 10-year period.
- Roughly 30% of the settlement—about $5.3 billion—remains contingent on YouTube and TikTok adopting comparable safety measures, reflecting Meta's attempt to establish industry-wide standards for teen protection.
- Despite the settlement, child safety experts and former Meta employees warn the deal may be 'window dressing,' arguing it fails to address underlying engagement-driven business models that critics contend drive genuine harm.
1082 Articles
1082 Articles
Meta settlement to send send hundreds of millions to North Carolina, used to support youth mental health
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) –Meta has agreed to a nearly $18 billion settlement resolving a landmark lawsuit accusing the company of designing its social media platforms to be addictive and harmful to children. The settlement involves nearly 30 states that accused Meta of concealing research about teen social media addiction and using features on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook that allegedly encouraged young people to spend more time online …
Mississippi settlement with Meta to bring new limits on Instagram, Facebook for kids
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch says the state will receive close to $189 million as part of a settlement with Meta Platforms over claims the company harmed children using its apps. Fitch filed a lawsuit against Meta in October of 2023. Meta is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Fitch accuses the company of harming children who use its platforms. “Unfortunately, I think we saw the social media cartel p…
Meta Platforms (Meta), the operator of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion (approximately 23.1 trillion won) and strengthen youth protection measures to settle lawsuits filed by U.S. state governments alleging that it induced social media addiction among teenagers. According to a settlement agreement submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on the 26th (local time), Meta [agreed] with…
Meta agrees to historic settlement over child safety issues in US
Meta has agreed to US$18b in settlements and to implement child safety features in Facebook and Instagram, bringing to an end landmark trials involving 48 US states (including Texas, which filed a separate suit to the other 47 states). The deal will prevent CEO Mark Zuckerberg from being forced to testify in California, where the trial kicked off last week. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023, accused Meta of purposefully designing features th…
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