Meta settles social media addiction claims for up to $18 billion

Key Points:

• Meta Platforms has agreed to settle a lawsuit with California and 28 other states for approximately $18 billion, aimed at funding youth online safety initiatives and other state priorities.
• As part of the settlement, Meta will implement daily time limits of two hours for teen users on Facebook and Instagram, require parental permission to disable these limits, hide likes on teens' posts by default, block extreme makeup filters, and offer non-algorithmic feeds and autoplay video disable options.
• The settlement also mandates enhanced age verification measures and new tools for parents to protect children online, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta highlighting the expected positive impact on child safety.
• Meta denies liability but emphasizes that the settlement empowers parents and calls on other social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safety measures industrywide.
• The agreement awaits judicial approval and follows a trial where states accused Meta of designing addictive products harming teens' mental health, with Meta maintaining it already provides multiple safety features for young users.