Don’t praise Meta ‘for what the court orders them to do’: Meta will only pay the full $17.1 billion settlement if TikTok and YouTube match it

Meta is not actually committing to pay the full $17.1 billion settlement for child safety on its own. The figure cited by California Attorney General Rob Bonta is "up to $17 billion," with Meta's guaranteed payment being $12.7 billion. The District of Columbia's attorney general, Brian Schwalb, and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong put the guaranteed floor at $12.1 billion and $12.19 billion respectively, with the remaining amount contingent on other platforms following suit.

Meta's accounting breaks down the $18 billion total into 70% ($12.7 billion) guaranteed and 30% ($5.3 billion) contingent on TikTok and YouTube adopting specific safety measures. Meta's Chief Legal Officer, C.J. Mahoney, emphasized that the settlement represents a new set of rules for teen social media use, but stressed that the success of the agreement depends on other platforms like TikTok and YouTube joining in.