Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, reached a settlement Wednesday to pay out nearly $16.7 billion over claims its social media platforms harmed children. Once approved by the court, this will resolve multiple federal cases brought by dozens of state attorneys-general, who alleged that Meta misrepresented its products’ effects on kids’ mental health, infringed privacy protections, and violated consumer protection laws.
Meta also agreed to product changes intended to limit the addictiveness of its apps, including two-hour daily limits, “nighttime blocks” for users under 18, and additional age verification and parental control tools. The company continues to deny wrongdoing.
Wednesday’s settlement is seen by many as a bellwether for the social media industry, whose products are increasingly being criticized as public health risks (a framing some have compared to that used in successful campaigns against Big Tobacco). It follows a judgment against Meta in a separate lawsuit earlier this year, which saw a New Mexico court levy a nearly $1 billion fine after determining the company’s apps had created a “public nuisance” by endangering children’s safety.
Other cases against Meta and similar social media companies are still pending in multiple jurisdictions.
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