Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement over social media harms to children
Meta will add teen screen-time caps and school-hour notification limits as part of the settlement, which still needs judicial approval.
- On Wednesday, Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to 47 states, ending a landmark federal trial in Oakland, California, to resolve allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed children.
- A bipartisan coalition of states filed suit in 2023 alleging Meta deliberately designed platforms to addict teens, with attorneys general claiming the company prioritized engagement over safety while concealing research on mental health harms.
- The settlement mandates a two-hour daily time limit, nighttime blocks from midnight to 6 a.m., and restricted notifications during school hours, alongside robust age-assurance measures and independent audits to monitor compliance.
- Meta will pay 70% guaranteed, while the remaining 30%—about $5.3 billion—is contingent on YouTube and TikTok adopting identical safety measures, as the company urged competitors to join this 'new industry standard.'
- While this agreement marks a significant regulatory shift, Meta still faces thousands of personal-injury claims from families and school districts, and critics argue these features are 'window dressing' that fail to address engagement-driven business models.
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1068 Articles
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…
NH Punches Above Its Weight in $224M Meta Settlement
New Hampshire’s decision to pursue its own lawsuit against Meta in state court rather than join the consolidated federal case paid off big Wednesday when Attorney General John Formella announced an outsized settlement for the Granite State. Thanks to this strategy, the state will receive at least $158 million—and potentially more than $224 million—from Meta under a landmark settlement requiring sweeping new protections for children using Faceboo…
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