Meta's $18bn settlement may hasten reckoning for social media on child safety

Key Points:

• Meta has agreed to an $18 billion settlement to resolve claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed children, surprising many who expected prolonged litigation involving 29 US states.
• The lawsuit centered on violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) related to Meta's historic data collection from children under 13, but it also challenged the company's broader online safety practices.
• Internal evidence revealed Meta was aware of harmful effects on children and that some safety features were not enabled by default, leading to criticism despite the company's extensive safety tools.
• As part of the settlement, Meta will implement new safety measures for teen users, including a two-hour daily time limit, muted notifications during certain hours, and hidden likes on posts, with most changes rolling out within six months.
• Meta is not admitting wrongdoing but aims to protect its core business while emphasizing the need for industry-wide adoption of similar safety features to effectively safeguard children online.