Meta has agreed to change how teenagers use Instagram and Facebook and to pay up to a combined $18bn over a decade to several US states and territories. The agreement settles a landmark lawsuit alleging that the company’s products addicted and harmed children.
The safeguards include age verification, a two-hour daily usage limit, blocked nighttime access, notifications disabled during school hours and a ban on displaying “likes”. The features will be activated by default rather than requiring teenagers or parents to opt in.
What changes for teenagers
Meta will be obligated to verify the ages of teenage users. The settlement requires the new restrictions to apply across the everyday social-network experience by default, making them different from the company’s earlier opt-in approach to teen safety and parental controls. For additional context, see “Why Meta’s US trial could reshape child safety on social media”.
Key points
- The settlement was reached after dozens of US states accused Meta of harming children with dangerous products.
- The payment could reach $18bn over 10 years and is the highest-ever financial payment by a technology company in the US.
- The states originally estimated damages of about $200bn.
- Meta says the framework will work only if other platforms adopt similar protections.
Why the agreement matters beyond Meta
The attorneys general pursued operational changes as their primary objective rather than financial damages. California attorney general Rob Bonta described the agreement as a major step toward protecting children, while saying Meta’s earlier safety tools could be easily overridden by children.
The settlement is the first time in the US that Meta has been forced to change key features affecting the daily experience of its social-network users. Meta has presented the framework as a precedent for other social media companies, arguing that teenagers move between many apps. A related part of this story is covered in “How a landmark court case proved Meta and Google built addictive social media platforms”.
Bonta said state lawyers were in talks with TikTok, YouTube and Snap about adopting similar protections. Meta chief legal officer CJ Mahoney said an industry-wide solution would be needed for the framework to work.
What happens next
The agreement’s broader effect will depend on whether other social media companies adopt similar protections; state lawyers said discussions with TikTok, YouTube and Snap were under way. The development of this issue can be followed in “What the Meta social media addiction trial could change”.
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