WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Meta Platforms (META) has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and implement changes to Facebook and Instagram under a landmark multistate settlement over allegations that the platforms were designed to encourage addictive use among children and teens.
The agreement, announced Wednesday by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, remains subject to court approval.
'Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of difference for children and their families,' said Attorney General Bonta. 'Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms - and will do it within months. We are talking about time limits, stopping notifications during school, a block on the app during critical overnight hours, bans on plastic surgery filters, and so much more. Alongside a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues, I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram - right now, no more waiting.'
Under the proposed settlement, Meta will introduce a default two-hour daily usage limit for users under 18, which parents can override, along with overnight restrictions. Notifications for teens will also be blocked during overnight hours and the school day.
The company will additionally ban the display of like and reaction counts for users under 18, prohibit cosmetic-procedure filters, offer teens a non-personalized feed option and strengthen tools for reporting harmful content. Meta will also implement enhanced age-assurance measures to identify users under 18 and remove children under 13 from its platforms.
An independent auditor will oversee Meta's compliance, while the company will be prohibited from making false or misleading claims about its safety features.
The settlement resolves claims that Meta misled families about platform risks and unlawfully collected data from children under 13. Meta has denied wrongdoing.
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, alleged Meta illegally collected and used the data of children under the age of 13 who used its platforms, made decisions in designing its platforms that drove excessive use and put young users at risk, and that it lied to users, their families, and the public about the safety of Facebook and Instagram.
In doing so, it violated federal and state laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, California's False Advertising Law, and California's Unfair Competition Law.
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