Meta has reached a substantial settlement with California and 28 other US states, promising significant changes to Facebook and Instagram aimed at reducing harm and addictive behaviors among teenage users. This agreement requires Meta to implement new protective measures for teens, such as setting daily usage limits, restricting notification alerts during school hours, and limiting overnight access to its apps. Additionally, the company will ban certain filters that promote plastic surgery to young users.
As part of the settlement, Meta might end up paying up to $18 billion, with the funds distributed to the states involved over a decade, pending court approval. California stands to receive an estimated $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion, while Colorado is expected to gain approximately $615 million. This move follows allegations from the states that Meta designed features to intentionally keep young users engaged for extended periods, as well as accusations of collecting data from children under 13 without obtaining proper parental consent.
Though Meta denies any wrongdoing, it acknowledges that the settlement would be more impactful if other major social media platforms like TikTok, Snap, and YouTube enacted similar safety measures. The company has called upon these platforms to adopt comparable protections to ensure a broader safeguarding of young users across the digital landscape.
This agreement emerges amidst a backdrop of thousands of lawsuits faced by Meta and other social media giants. These legal actions are being filed by families, schools, and government officials, all citing the damage and dangers associated with social media use among children and teenagers. The settlement represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing discourse around the responsibilities of social media companies in protecting younger audiences.