Business & Finance
Meta agrees to $18 billion US settlement over youth safety and platform design
The deal resolves lawsuits from 48 US states and will introduce strict default controls and parental oversight for under-18 users on Facebook and Instagram.
The short version
- Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement with 48 US states, Washington, D.C., and several territories to resolve federal lawsuits accusing it of endangering children with addictive platform designs.
- US Facebook and Instagram accounts for users under 18 will gain default features including a two-hour daily limit, a midnight-to-6am curfew, disabled push notifications during school hours, hidden likes, and bans on cosmetic procedure filters.
- Parental oversight features will expand to send daily alerts when a teen messages an adult account for the first time or searches for keywords related to self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders.
- Meta will pay $12.7 billion over 10 years, while the remaining $5 billion is contingent on competitors like TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube adopting matching measures.
Key facts
- Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement with 48 US states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands to resolve federal legal claims over child safety and addictive designs.[Al Jazeera]
- Under the agreement, US users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram will face a two-hour daily usage limit and a midnight-to-6am curfew unless overruled by parental consent.[Al Jazeera]
- Push notifications for teenage users will be turned off between 8am and 3pm on school days.[Al Jazeera]
- Supervising adults will receive notifications when a teen messages an adult account for the first time or searches for terms linked to suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders.[Al Jazeera]
- Meta will pay $12.7 billion of the payout over 10 years, with the final $5 billion conditioned on competing platforms implementing equivalent restrictions.[Al Jazeera]
- Platform changes will roll out in stages following court approval, beginning with non-personalized feeds within four months, broader compliance within six months, and age-assurance upgrades within a year.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- It is unknown whether Meta will voluntarily extend these youth protection changes to users outside of the United States.[Al Jazeera]
- It remains unconfirmed whether rival platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube will adopt matching youth safety restrictions to trigger Meta's conditional $5 billion payout.[Al Jazeera]