The terms of the settlement require Meta to pay up to $17 billion in penalties to the states over a period of 10 years. Meta must also make significant changes to its policies to better protect young users.
Meta has agreed to pay more than $17 billion to settle a state-led lawsuit accusing the company of designing social media platforms that it knew would prove addictive for children and other vulnerable users.
According to National Public Radio, the agreement was announced by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, who represented a larger coalition of states.
In addition to claims that Meta violated multiple state-level consumer-protection laws, the lawsuit also accused the company of violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which restricts collecting data on children under the age of 13.
Meta, notes NPR, has a policy of not permitting children under the age of 13 to open new accounts, but the rule can be easily skirted by inputting a false birth date.
The terms of the settlement require Meta to pay up to $17 billion in penalties to the states over a period of 10 years. Meta must also make significant changes to its policies to better protect young users.
“Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of difference for children and families,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms—and will do it within months.”
C.J. Mahoney, chief legal officer for Meta, said that the settlement “will empower parents to easily manage how their children access our platforms.”
“But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta’s lead,” he said, making explicit reference to competitor-platforms TikTok and YouTube.
Bonta’s office said that, among other things, Meta will soon introduce a default time limit of two hours per day for users ages 18 and under as well as a nighttime block active between midnight and 6 a.m. each day; these restrictions can only be lifted by a parent. Meta will also stop displaying the number of “likes” and reactions to posts made by minors and will no longer offer so-called “cosmetic” filters for young users.
Aside from these changes, the company is also obliged to retain an independent auditor with “expansive access to information and resources” and the right to communicate with the plaintiff attorneys general. Meta may also be subject to an ongoing injunction that prohibits it “from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements around its safety features.”
“I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram—right now, no more waiting,” Bonta said.
Sources
Meta reaches landmark $18 billion settlement with states in trial over teen social media addiction
Meta, states agree to $17 billion settlement in child safety trial
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