Meta settles states' child-safety claims for $18B; Florida rejects deal as "peanuts"
Meta to impose daily limit on child social media use in deal with nearly every state.
Meta has reached a $18 billion settlement with most US states over child-safety claims, ending a trial where several states demanded over $1.4 trillion. The deal necessitates court approval. Meta is accused of designing its products to encourage compulsive use by children and failing to inform users about addiction and mental health risks.
The company already employs ID checks and facial recognition to verify user ages. As part of the settlement, Meta will impose a default two-hour daily time limit for individuals under 18, which cannot be altered without parental consent. Additionally, a block will be automatically activated between midnight and 6 am, and a "school mode" will mute notifications from 8 am to 3 pm.
The two-hour limit applies to both Facebook and Instagram, with scrolling time across both platforms counting towards the total. Teens will receive prompts after every 15 minutes of continuous screen time on either app, and prompts when their daily usage reaches 60 minutes and 90 minutes.
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