인스타 청소년 계정 ‘성형 필터’ 막힌다…메타, ‘SNS 중독’ 23조 지급 합의

A massive $167.7 billion settlement ($23.1 billion) has been reached between the U.S. states and Meta, the operator of Facebook and Instagram, to address allegations that the social media platforms were intentionally designed to be addictive to young users. The agreement, submitted to the Northern California District Federal Court, establishes a framework for the settlement to be approved by the court, after which it will take effect.

Initially, Meta is required to pay approximately $117 billion, with additional payments of up to $50 billion contingent on similar settlements with other major social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat.

The settlement mandates several changes aimed at reducing the addictive nature of the platforms and limiting usage for minors. For users under 18, daily usage is capped at two hours, with a nightly ban from midnight to 6 am. Parents must approve any lifts to these restrictions. If competitors adopt similar measures, the daily limit could be reduced to one hour, and nighttime access restrictions could extend until 10 pm to 7 am.

During the school year, a "school mode" will be active from 8 am to 3 pm on weekdays, disabling all notifications except for school-related messages. Additionally, teenagers will have the option to switch to a "non-personalized feed," displaying only posts from accounts they follow in chronological order.

Minors will also be unable to view "likes" or reactions to their posts or others' posts, and the use of "filters" that can make users appear to have had cosmetic surgery or elaborate makeup will be blocked. Accounts for users aged 13 to 17 will be private by default, preventing strangers from contacting them or finding them. A new AI model will be developed to detect and delete accounts belonging to individuals under 13, enabling the platform to comply with the restriction.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta evaluated the settlement positively, stating that it would make the internet a less risky space for children and bring significant changes to their lives.