Meta agrees to $17bn settlement over claims of child social media addiction

Meta, the parent company behind popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, has reached a significant agreement to settle lawsuits alleging the addictiveness of its services for children. According to court documents, Meta could pay up to $17.1 billion to resolve the legal disputes. The company has faced numerous lawsuits in the US, accusing it of not disclosing how young users could become addicted to its platforms.

Meta denies these allegations, but the settlement includes a broad commitment to implement child safety features such as daily time limits, reduced notifications and a nighttime usage cut-off for its apps. The agreement has been welcomed by the 47 US states, Washington DC, and other territories involved in the lawsuit. Meta stated that the settlement aims to establish a new standard for social media platforms to ensure teens use them responsibly.

However, the company also called for TikTok and YouTube to join in adopting these safety measures. The legal battle has been challenging for Meta, with critics accusing the company of being negligent and deceptive about the potential impacts of its products on children. Attorney General Brian Schwalb of the District of Columbia emphasized that Meta intentionally endangered children for profit and then lied about it, calling it the largest tech settlement ever.

The settlement marks a potential shift in how social media companies address child safety, following a global trend of governments stepping in to regulate online platforms, particularly in light of previous cases like Australia's and the UK's proposals for social media restrictions.