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Meta settles U.S. child safety lawsuits for up to $18 billion
Meta has reached a landmark settlement to resolve lawsuits brought by a coalition of U.S. states and territories, alleging the company designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children and misled the public about mental health risks. The agreement involves payments of up to $18 billion over a ten-year period.
As part of the settlement, Meta will implement significant design changes for users under 18. These include a default daily usage limit of two hours combined across Instagram and Facebook, which can only be bypassed with parental authorization. The company will also enforce a nighttime block on platform access between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM, mute notifications during school hours, and hide “likes” by default on adolescent accounts.
Additionally, Meta must implement enhanced age assurance measures to detect and prevent users under 13 from accessing the platforms. An independent auditor will be appointed to oversee compliance with these new safety standards for at least five years. While Meta has agreed to these transformations, the company has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Entities
California · Facebook · Instagram · Meta Platforms, Inc. · Rob Bonta · TikTok · United States · Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 9 SOURCES] Meta designed features on Instagram and Facebook that drive compulsive use among children and teens. www.philippinenews.com · digitalmarketreports.com · cybershack.com.au · media-innovation.jp · nationalcybersecurity.com · +2 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Washington state will receive $237 million from the settlement.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Meta will implement a two-hour daily usage limit for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram. inc42.com · impakter.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] California is set to receive between $1.5 billion and $2.1 billion from the settlement. www.philippinenews.com
- [● 22 SOURCES] The settlement includes a block on app use between midnight and 6 AM for minors. inc42.com · impakter.com · www.philippinenews.com · elciudadanoweb.com · www.letemps.ch · +15 more
- [● 27 SOURCES] Meta will pay up to $17 billion to states over ten years as part of the settlement. www.philippinenews.com · inc42.com · nationalcybersecurity.com · www.diariodenavarra.es · elciudadanoweb.com · +20 more
- [● 20 SOURCES] Meta will disable notifications for minors during school hours (8 AM to 3 PM). inc42.com · www.philippinenews.com · salajeanul.ro · impakter.com · www.tabla.com.sg · +13 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] Meta will restrict certain beauty filters, hide like counts, and offer non-algorithmic feeds to minors. inc42.com · elciudadanoweb.com · impakter.com · www.philippinenews.com · www.tabla.com.sg · +4 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] An additional $5.3 billion depends on competitors like YouTube and TikTok implementing similar safety reforms. fr.businessam.be · elciudadanoweb.com · impakter.com · wwwhatsnew.com · www.focusjunior.it · +2 more
- [● 4 SOURCES] Notifications will be disabled during school hours. elciudadanoweb.com · www.letemps.ch · listinusa.net · elveedordigital.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] Access will be blocked between midnight and 6:00 AM for users aged 13 to 17. elciudadanoweb.com · www.letemps.ch · listinusa.net · elveedordigital.com · salajeanul.ro
- [● 2 SOURCES] The settlement involves claims from 29 state attorneys general and extends to 52 states and territories. elciudadanoweb.com · www.philippinenews.com