Meta has consented to significant modifications to its Facebook and Instagram platforms following a settlement with California and 28 other U.S. states. These changes come in response to accusations that the platforms have been detrimental and encouraged addictive behaviors among teenagers.
Under the terms of the settlement, Meta will implement enhanced protections for teenage users nationwide. These measures include imposing daily usage limits, controlling notifications during school hours, and limiting overnight access to the apps. Additionally, the company will ban certain plastic surgery filters that target younger users.
The settlement stipulates that Meta could be required to pay up to $18 billion, which would be distributed among the participating states over the next decade, pending court approval. California is projected to receive between $1.5 billion and $2.1 billion, while Colorado is expected to get approximately $615 million.
The states involved in the lawsuit claimed that Meta intentionally designed features to entice young users to spend excessive time on its platforms. They also accused the company of gathering data from children under the age of 13 without obtaining proper parental consent.
Though Meta has denied any wrongdoing, it emphasized that the settlement would be more effective if other major social media platforms adopted similar protective measures. The company urged TikTok, Snap, and YouTube to implement comparable safeguards. This agreement emerges amid a backdrop of numerous lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies by families, schools, and government officials, all alleging harms related to social media use among children and teenagers.