Meta agrees to pay $18 billion to settle lawsuits over children’s social media addiction

California and four other U.S. states have reached a settlement with Meta Platforms, agreeing to pay up to $18 billion in order to limit teenagers' usage of Facebook and Instagram and strengthen safety measures on the platforms. The agreement aims to resolve concerns that Meta designed their social media products to addict children and misled the public about their safety.

While Meta will not fundamentally change its business practices, this settlement represents a major effort to define how the company serves young users. The settlement includes restrictions such as capping daily usage at two hours and blocking usage between midnight and 6 a.m. for teenagers, as well as disabling most push notifications during school hours and improving measures to prevent access to age-restricted content.

The settlement does not require Meta to abandon personalized recommendations or targeted advertising.