Why India is keenly tracking Meta’s $17.1 bn settlement over social media addiction

Indian regulators are paying close attention to Meta's recent $17.1 billion settlement with US states over allegations that Instagram and Facebook were intentionally designed to be addictive for children. As concerns about young users' exposure to social media grow in India, policymakers are exploring potential measures such as age-based restrictions, time limits, and stronger parental consent requirements.

The settlement could serve as a blueprint for regulatory interventions in India, offering enforceable restrictions on how social media companies can design and operate their services for minors. The agreement mandates Meta to implement daily usage caps of two hours, block access between midnight and 6 am, mute notifications during school hours, restrict certain features for minors, and enhance age assurance systems.

However, Meta has not admitted any wrongdoing. Former Facebook engineering director Arturo Béjar, who provided testimony, argued that Meta's top-down culture made it difficult to implement meaningful safety changes without senior leadership support. The case was initiated by a coalition of US state attorneys general, who accused Meta of deliberately designing its platforms to encourage compulsive use by children and teens while concealing the risks and collecting personal data from under-13 users without parental consent.

The case draws attention to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a federal law enacted in 1998, which offers a concrete legal avenue for addressing Meta's alleged violations. India is also discussing a graded approach to regulating social media use for minors, considering different restrictions based on age groups.

The settlement provides Indian policymakers with a practical example of how enforceable legal measures can be implemented through legislation, rather than relying solely on platform discretion to address potential harms.