Explainer-Settlement requires Meta to check young users' ages. How will that work?

Meta has agreed to enhance its methods for verifying the ages of users on its platforms like Facebook and Instagram as part of a $18 billion legal settlement with U.S. states. This settlement aims to prevent children from using social media. To ensure users are genuinely of age, Meta stated it will implement various changes, though it will not require extreme verification steps such as checking photo IDs or asking users to upload video selfies.

The settlement places specific emphasis on age checks for children under 13, mandating that Meta search through the friend networks of these accounts to identify and remove them. The company must also simplify the process for social media users to report suspected underage accounts and permit an independent auditor to review Meta's efforts to verify ages.

However, the settlement does present some legal hurdles in determining ages. One major issue is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a 1998 federal law that holds companies responsible for collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. This law poses challenges for Meta and other social media companies, as it restricts them from collecting data that could reliably verify a person's age, like IDs or biometric information.

Despite these hurdles, the settlement aims to strike a balance between stricter age-verification measures and complying with COPPA, similar to a recent ruling in New Mexico.