$17B Meta settlement puts focus on youth mental health crisis, Colorado AG says
Meta agreed to pay up to $17 billion in a settlement, putting to rest a trial where dozens of states accused it of deliberately endangering children through their platforms. The company behind Facebook and Instagram agreed to implement digital guardrails for minors and is asking other social platforms to do the same. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
On August 26, Meta concluded a legal battle with 47 U.S. states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, by agreeing to a settlement worth up to $17.1 billion. The lawsuit, initiated by at least 29 states, accused Meta of hiding the detrimental effects of its platforms on children and employing tactics to keep teenagers engaged or 'addicted' to the platforms.
The settlement comes with specific conditions for Meta to modify its safety features on Instagram and Facebook. The lawsuit alleged that Meta had been collecting data on children under the age of 13 without obtaining parental consent, which violated various state and federal privacy laws.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
