- Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and implement new child-safety measures on Facebook and Instagram to settle lawsuits filed by 47 US state attorneys general over teen social media addiction.
- The landmark agreement cuts short a federal trial in Oakland, California, which accused the tech giant of intentionally designing addictive features that harmed youth mental health and illegally collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.
- As part of the proposed settlement, Meta will introduce hard caps on daily time limits, disable push notifications during weekday school hours, enforce robust age-assurance tools, and restrict social comparison features such as 'like' counts.
- The trial featured testimony from Instagram head Adam Mosseri as well as former Meta engineering director Arturo Béjar, who alleged that the corporation consistently prioritised profits and user engagement over child safety.
- Although Meta faced theoretical financial penalties of up to $1.4 trillion, the $17 billion payout represents a fraction of its $201 billion revenue for 2025, providing significant consumer protection funds across participating states.
IN FULL
