Meta settles landmark US lawsuit for nearly $18bn and agrees to change Facebook and Instagram

Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has reached a settlement worth nearly $18 billion in a landmark lawsuit filed by 29 US state attorneys-general. The lawsuit alleged that Meta engineered its platforms to keep teenagers hooked, misled the public about the harm caused, and collected data from children under 13 without parental consent.

Despite the substantial amount, the settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing or liability. In a statement, Meta emphasized its commitment to ensuring a safe and productive experience for teens on its platforms.

Meta agreed to implement several design changes in Facebook and Instagram to address the allegations. The night mode will block access to the platforms from midnight to 6 am, and notifications will be silenced from 10 pm to 7 am. Additionally, there will be a two-hour daily limit on usage, with SMS and long-form videos of at least 22 minutes excluded.

Parents can loosen these restrictions using Meta's supervision tools. Like counts will be hidden by default, and filters that reshape users' faces will be disabled. Teens will be offered a non-personalised feed by default for the first 90 days after joining and every 90 days thereafter. The settlement also mandates age verification within a year using internationally tested tools, with strict penalties for failure to comply.