Meta's historic $18 billion settlement may mean little for the plight of teens

On Wednesday, Meta announced a historic $18 billion settlement with attorneys general across states, Washington, DC, and US territories. The company agreed to implement changes to its apps, aiming to limit the amount of time teens spend on them daily. These measures include installing interruptions to infinite scroll, imposing two-hour daily time limits, silencing notifications overnight and during the school day, limiting the use of beauty filters, hiding the tallying of likes, and strengthening age verification tools and parental controls.

While the settlement is the highest ever paid to states by a Big Tech company, it remains unclear whether the specific changes Meta has agreed to will alleviate the problems teens face when they log onto social media. The company has lost two lawsuits this year regarding safety on its platforms, prompting the company to take a more proactive stance in revamping its products.

Professor Stavros Gadinis from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law believes that by embracing these changes, Meta hopes to convince consumers that their product is credible.

However, critics argue that the settlement may miss the mark, as the root cause of issues teens face is not merely usage but the deeper issues that draw them online and lead to negative experiences. Experts emphasize the need for approaches that track and limit kids' time on the internet, but also address the broader issues that contribute to a negative experience online. They highlight the importance of digital citizenship and cyber hygiene programs in K-12 schools.

Advocacy groups, such as the ACLU, express concerns about the practical implications of the settlement. They argue that an age verification mandate for certain content could lead to erosion of privacy online and potentially violate free speech protections. The settlement could result in Meta blocking access to content for both teens and non-compliant users, while also collecting more data on its users.

Despite the concerns, Meta maintains that the settlement aims to get things right for parents and teens, as they partner with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard. The company's stock rose by about 1% following news of the settlement.