A landmark settlement has been reached between Meta and various states in a trial over teen social media addiction, with the tech giant agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and committing to ensuring stronger child safety measures are added to its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
The federal lawsuit was the result of a bipartisan investigation of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont that followed news reports that indicated that the company was aware of the harm caused by social media platforms when it comes to mental health and body image, especially for girls. The settlement, which will be paid out over 10 years, with California getting the largest sum of at least $1.5 billion, ends a trial over teen social media addiction, with claims filed by nearly every state, that was years in the making and intended to hold Meta accountable for the role its platforms play in undermining children’s mental health, chiefly the features that target the attention of the youth cohort.
From California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s perspective, the agreement “institutes real change, real transparency, real protections for children and teens across the country.”
Once approved by the court, the deal will put a halt on litigation by states against Meta, which were filed by 29 states in 2023, and will deliver financial support for mental health programs for kids, though the company will continue to face lawsuits from individuals and school districts. The settlement covers all states and most U.S. territories except New Mexico, which went to trial against Meta and won earlier this year, and Florida, where the attorney general believed the settlement was not tough enough.
Among the new protections that are being hailed by advocates are default time limits and the ability to disable features such as likes and push notifications during school hours, more robust age-assurance measures, and content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about sensitive content like eating disorders and self-harm.
“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.”
The lawsuit sought to hold Meta accountable for its role in contributing to the mental health crisis by integrating addictive design features, while also arguing that there were violations of federal laws related to the routine collection of data on children under the age of 13 without parental consent. An independent auditor will assess how Meta is implementing the safety features, as well as their effectiveness.
Meta has stated that 30 percent of the settlement will be released to states only if its competitors, YouTube and TikTok, also meet conditions related to the implementation of similar safety features, including a one-hour daily time limit, a nighttime block, and age-assurance measures, paying the same amount, split between the two companies. The goal is to incentivize the entire industry to follow suit, as many of the safety measures will be most effective if they are implemented across the board, though child safety advocates believe that despite being a step in the right direction, these adjustments will not produce the desired results.
