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[TECHNOLOGY] · United States · 29 sources

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Meta agrees to landmark settlement over teen safety and addiction claims FAST-MOVING

Meta Platforms has reached a landmark settlement to resolve a massive federal lawsuit brought by a coalition of US states. The legal action accused the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children and teenagers, potentially contributing to a youth mental health crisis. The lawsuit also alleged that Meta violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data from users under 13 without parental consent.

The financial terms of the agreement involve a core payment of approximately USD 12.19 billion over a 10-year period. The total settlement could reach up to USD 17.1 billion if other major platforms, such as TikTok and YouTube, enter into similar agreements regarding child safety and product obligations.

Beyond financial penalties, the settlement mandates significant changes to how Meta’s platforms operate for users under 18. These include a default two-hour daily usage limit, nighttime restrictions blocking access between midnight and 6:00 am, and the silencing of notifications during school hours and late at night. Meta must also implement stricter age verification standards and hide like counts by default for adolescents. Meta denies any wrongdoing or intentional harm to minors.

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Adam Mosseri · California · Facebook · Instagram · Mark Zuckerberg · Meta Platforms · United States · Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers

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