Meta settles $17 billion lawsuit over addicting kids to social media

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has reached a major $17 billion settlement with 29 states over allegations that the company knowingly addicting and harming children with its dangerous product. The settlement requires Meta to implement significant changes to its platforms, such as limiting usage, instituting nighttime and school hour blocks for teens, and removing the ability to see likes or unlikes.

State attorneys general praised the agreement as a significant step in combating the negative effects of incessant social media use on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which can lead to mental and physical harm, particularly for teenage girls. Washington D.C. attorney general Brian Schwalb emphasized that Meta is the first platform to agree to such comprehensive reforms, warning that it will not be the last.

Recent legal setbacks for Meta, including a $6 million award to a teenage girl for emotional distress and body dysmorphia caused by the platform's design, and a $375 million penalty for misleading consumers about the safety of its services, suggest that these penalties could serve as a deterrent against future wrongdoing. Despite Meta's vast net worth and the wealth of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, these legal penalties may signal a shift in the tech industry's approach to protecting young users.

California AG Rob Bonta expressed confidence that the accelerated legal penalties will help curb some of Facebook's worst excesses, with the reforms taking effect within months.