OAKLAND, Calif. | Meta Platforms has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and introduce sweeping child-safety measures on Facebook and Instagram, ending a landmark U.S. case accusing the company of designing its platforms to keep children and teenagers addicted.
The settlement, announced Wednesday by state attorneys general, resolves claims brought by 47 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Meta denies wrongdoing, but agreed to major changes to its platforms.
Under the agreement, Meta will introduce measures including daily usage limits for young users, restrictions on nighttime access, reduced notifications during school hours, stronger content controls and additional parental safeguards. The company will also make changes intended to prevent children from accessing certain features and content.
The agreement ends a federal trial in Oakland that began last week. Four states, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, were presenting their case in court, while the broader litigation involved 29 states. Prosecutors accused Meta of deliberately developing addictive features, concealing information about potential harms and violating federal privacy protections by collecting information from children under 13 without parental consent.
The case had gained attention after former Meta safety engineer Arturo Béjar testified that the company had been warned about problems affecting young users. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri also testified about the platform’s efforts to encourage teenagers to take breaks from the service.
The settlement is being described by state officials as one of the largest consumer-protection agreements involving a major technology company. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr called it the largest state consumer-protection settlement in U.S. history outside the tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
The dispute is part of a broader legal and political reckoning over the effects of social media on young people. Meta, along with companies including Google, TikTok and Snap, faces lawsuits alleging that platform designs contribute to youth mental-health problems. Earlier cases have already produced substantial judgments against Meta.
For Meta, the agreement provides a costly resolution to one of its most significant challenges over youth safety while avoiding the potentially larger damages and mandatory changes that could have resulted from a full trial. For parents and regulators, the settlement could become an important benchmark for how social media companies are expected to protect young users.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
