Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta has agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion as part of a settlement over allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed children, while also agreeing to make major changes for teen users. The social media giant will introduce measures including daily usage limits and nighttime blocks for teenagers on Facebook and Instagram nationwide.
The settlement was reached at the California federal trial over claims brought by 29 states, averting one of the highest-profile tests yet to allegations that social media firms harmed young users.
As per Reuters, the social media platform has also accepted that it will make changes for teenage users on Facebook and Instagram nationwide, comprising daily usage limits and nighttime blocks. The claims were a part of a broader wave of litigation brought by states, local governments, school districts, and individuals alleging Meta and other social media firms fueled a nationwide youth mental health crisis.
The federal trial covered claims from California, Kentucky, Colorado, and New Jersey that Meta violated their state laws protecting consumers. It also covered claims from 29 states that Meta violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data from users it knew were children without parental notification or consent, and using the data to train machine learning and generative AI models.
Meta has denied the allegations, saying it has worked hard to protect children on its platforms. The firm has argued it could not have misled consumers about whether its services were addictive because ‘social media addiction’ is not a recognized psychiatric condition. In a filing before the trial, Meta said Colorado, California, Kentucky, and New Jersey were seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties. The states suggested before the trial began that the figure would be somewhere around $200 billion. The states were also seeking additional monetary damages, plus an order directing Meta to make significant changes to its platforms and a bar to children from creating accounts.
