Meta’s $18bn settlement: How social platforms will change for child users

Live updates

1. 17d ago

   Meta's $18bn settlement imposes teen safety changes on Facebook and Instagram

   Meta will pay $18 billion over 10 years and implement strict new limits on teenagers' use of Facebook and Instagram as part of a settlement with 48 US states. The changes include new teen safety features, age verification, parental controls, and oversight. While the settlement introduces new protections for users under 18, critics argue it fails to address major existing dangers. The deal may also impact brand-creator deals on social media.

   Why it matters

   The settlement resolves lawsuits regarding youth addiction and child safety, which accused Meta of designing its platforms to be addictive to children. The agreement may set a precedent for other social media companies, with some critics calling for further action to address the harm caused by big tech. The changes are expected to have significant implications for the way social media companies operate and for users in various regions, including Ireland.

   What is confirmed

   • Meta will pay $18 billion over a 10-year period as part of the settlement.
   • The settlement introduces new teen safety features, age verification, parental controls, and oversight on Facebook and Instagram.
   • The lawsuits accused Meta of designing its platforms to be addictive to children.
   • The settlement may impact brand-creator deals on social media.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The ability of big tech to gouge profits and cause harm is barely diminished.

   What to watch next

   • Reactions from other social media companies, including TikTok and YouTube
   • The implementation and effectiveness of the new teen safety features on Facebook and Instagram
   • Potential settlements or actions against other social media companies
   Sources used for this update (7)

   1. themediaonline.co.za — Meta settles landmark US lawsuit for nearly $18bn
   2. www.forbes.com — Meta’s $18 Billion Settlement Complicates Brand-Creator Deals On Social Media
   3. www.theguardian.com — An $18bn settlement – and Zuckerberg barely blinked. The tech titans must be stripped of their power, and soon
   4. www.tpr.org — Meta’s child safety lawsuit settlements, including with Texas, amount to billions
   5. www.newyorker.com — How the Meta Settlement Could Change the Internet
   6. www.cnbc.com — Meta’s $18 billion settlement puts TikTok and YouTube on notice. Who's next on the firing line?
   7. www.rte.ie — What will enormous Meta settlement mean for Irish users?
   confidence 90%
2. 19d ago

   Meta to pay $18 billion to settle US child safety lawsuits

   Meta Platforms reached a settlement on Wednesday with 48 US states to resolve lawsuits regarding youth addiction and child safety. The company will pay $18 billion over a 10-year period and must implement specific changes to Facebook and Instagram. These updates include strict new limits on how teenagers use the platforms. While the settlement introduces new protections for users under 18, some critics argue the overhaul fails to address major existing dangers.

   Why it matters

   The legal action focused on how social media design contributes to addiction in minors. This settlement follows years of scrutiny over the mental health impacts of algorithmic feeds on children.

   What is confirmed

   • Meta will pay $18 billion over 10 years to settle child safety lawsuits.
   • The settlement was reached with 48 US states.
   • Meta must implement changes to both Facebook and Instagram for users under 18.
   • The agreement includes new limits on teen use of social media platforms.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The settlement serves as a vote of confidence that Jonathan Haidt was right about social media harms.
   • The settlement may hasten a wider reckoning for social media platforms regarding child safety.

   What to watch next

   • Details on the specific technical limits imposed on teen accounts
   • Implementation timeline for the Facebook and Instagram platform changes
   • Responses from other social media companies regarding similar safety standards
   Sources used for this update (13)

   1. The Atlantic — How to Lose $12 Billion and Still Win
   2. Politico — Why Meta’s courtroom concession is a BFD
   3. The New York Times — A $17.1 Billion Vote of Confidence That Jonathan Haidt Was Right
   4. CNN — Here’s what Meta’s $18 billion multistate settlement could mean for kids — and for its bottom line
   5. Al Jazeera — Meta’s $18bn settlement: How social platforms will change for child users
   6. Yahoo — Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s First Statement Since UK Return Is Far From What You’d Expect
   7. The New York Times — Opinion | Meta Settles. Finally.
   8. Fortune — 'You only get like two hours of alcohol or two hours of cigarettes a day': Former Meta engineer on child safety settlement
   9. www.aol.com — Meta's $18bn settlement may hasten reckoning for social media on child safety
   10. www.timeslive.co.za — Meta to pay $18bn to settle youth addiction lawsuits
   11. www.computerweekly.com — Meta pays $18bn to settle US child safety lawsuit
   12. www.arise.tv — Meta’s $18bn Child Safety Settlement Could Trigger Wider Social Media Reckoning
   confidence 90%