Meta has entered into a settlement agreement to resolve a 2023 lawsuit brought by a coalition of 29 U.S. state attorneys-general. The litigation alleged that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to foster addictive behavior in teenagers, misled the public regarding potential harms, and collected data from children under 13 without parental consent. While the settlement involves a payment of up to approximately $18 billion, Meta has not admitted to any wrongdoing or legal liability.
Under the terms of the agreement, Meta will implement several structural changes for users aged 13 to 17. These include a default "night mode" that restricts access between midnight and 6 a.m., muted notifications during school hours, and a two-hour daily usage limit. Additionally, the company will hide "like" counts by default, disable filters that simulate cosmetic surgery, and provide teens with the option to use a non-personalized, chronological feed. The agreement also mandates rigorous age-verification processes, with strict error thresholds for misclassifying minors as adults.
The financial component of the settlement is structured in stages. Meta is set to pay $11.7 billion to 47 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories over ten years, alongside a separate $1 billion agreement with Texas. An additional $5.3 billion is contingent upon other major platforms—specifically TikTok, YouTube, and Snap—adopting similar safety standards. Meta’s chief legal officer, C.J. Mahoney, encouraged these competitors to join the initiative, noting the fluid nature of teen social media usage.
The settlement includes a five-year period of independent auditing to ensure compliance with the new safety protocols. This agreement marks a shift in regulatory strategy, focusing on platform design and specific performance metrics rather than outright age bans. The effectiveness of these measures and their potential adoption by other tech companies remain key areas of focus for the coming year.
Source: The Conversation
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