Meta has settled with California and 28 other states, agreeing to implement significant changes to its Facebook and Instagram platforms. This decision comes in response to allegations that the social media giant’s platforms have been detrimental to teenagers, promoting addictive behaviors.
As part of the settlement, Meta will roll out new protections for its teenage users across the United States. These measures include imposing daily usage limits, limiting notifications during school hours, and restricting overnight access to its apps. Additionally, the company will also curb the use of certain plastic surgery filters targeting young users.
Financially, the agreement could see Meta disburse as much as $18 billion over a decade, contingent on court approval. The funds would be distributed among the participating states, with California anticipated to receive between $1.5 billion and $2.1 billion, and Colorado looking at a potential $615 million share.
The allegations against Meta suggest that the company deliberately crafted features to encourage prolonged use by young people, and that it collected data from children under 13 without securing proper parental consent. While Meta has denied any wrongdoing, it posits that the settlement would have greater impact if other major social media platforms, such as TikTok, Snap, and YouTube, adopted similar protective measures.
This agreement surfaces amid a wave of lawsuits faced by Meta and other social media firms, filed by families, schools, and government officials who claim that social media use has caused harm to children and teenagers.