Meta Agrees to Pay Up to $18 Billion to Settle Claims It Addicted Children to Instagram and Facebook
Summary
Meta agrees to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims from 29 U.S. states alleging the company knowingly addicted children to Instagram and Facebook, with the deal introducing a 10-year framework of teen protections including daily time limits, Night Mode, and hidden like counts — pending judicial approval.
Key Points
- Meta agrees to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims from 29 U.S. states alleging the company knowingly designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children and illegally collected data from minors without parental consent.
- The settlement, pending judicial approval, introduces a 10-year framework of teen protections including default two-hour daily time limits, Night Mode, School Mode, hidden like counts, and blocks on extreme makeup filters across Facebook and Instagram.
- Roughly 30% of the settlement, about $5.3 billion, is contingent on YouTube and TikTok adopting similar protections, including a one-hour daily time limit and age-assurance measures, as Meta calls for an industry-wide solution to teen safety online.