Story Highlight
– Meta to pay up to $16.7 billion for lawsuits.
– Teenagers face two-hour daily limits on social media.
– Night-time access blocks implemented for teen accounts.
– Meta to improve age-assurance systems significantly.
– Settlement requires rival platforms to adopt similar measures.
Full Story
Meta Platforms Inc. has reached a monumental settlement of $16.7 billion (£12.3 billion) with a coalition of US states, addressing significant concerns over child safety on its social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook. This agreement, made public on Wednesday, comes as a federal trial in Oakland continues, where claims have been made against the company regarding its role in creating addictive environments for younger users and its lax safety measures.
Under this newly established arrangement, Meta will enforce specific limitations for teen accounts, particularly for users aged 13 to 17, which includes a default daily usage cap of two hours across both Instagram and Facebook. Notably, this cumulative limit is only adjustable by a parent or guardian, who can choose to disable it. Utilisation of the platforms through multiple accounts will further contribute to the total time tracked, although certain features such as direct messaging and selected long-form content won’t count against the users’ time.
In addition to daytime limits, a night-time restriction will prevent access to the platforms from midnight until 6 a.m., unless a parent opts to remove the limitation. During weekdays throughout the school year, push notifications will be muted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with reminders provided after 15 minutes of uninterrupted scrolling. Teen users will receive alerts respectively as their usage reaches 60 and 90 minutes, encouraging breaks and more mindful engagement with the platforms.
Meta has also committed to enhancing its age-verification procedures to more effectively detect users under 18 and even younger individuals below the age threshold of 13. Additional measures will include default settings that hide like counts on posts made by younger users, banning cosmetic surgery and extreme beauty filters for minors, and allowing teens the option to view their feeds in a chronological order rather than via an algorithm.
To ensure adherence to these new guidelines, an independent auditor with extensive access will be appointed to monitor compliance over the coming years.
The financial terms outlined in the settlement involve a guaranteed payment of $12.7 billion (£9.3 billion) to be disbursed in annual installments over the next ten years. Moreover, the total amount could rise, potentially reaching the headline figure, dependent on other companies like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat adopting similar measures regarding time limits, night modes, and age checks.
The agreement, covering 47 states along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, sees Texas with its own separate arrangement. State attorneys general have indicated that the proceeds from this settlement will help fund mental health services for children and initiatives aimed at enhancing digital safety.
The proposed consent judgment still awaits the approval of Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California. Notably, testimony from Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, was already in progress during the trial when the settlement was reached.
Meta’s chief legal officer, CJ Mahoney, stated that the framework established through this settlement is designed to empower parents, facilitating easier management of their children’s access to social media platforms. Conversely, California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, highlighted that this deal signifies a critical movement towards making social media environments less hazardous for young users.
Following the announcement, Meta has publicly advocated for similar child protection measures to be emulated by rivals, including YouTube and TikTok, asserting that the implementation of these new standards will only be beneficial if the entirety of the social media industry aligns with them. These companies, along with Snap, remain entangled in numerous lawsuits that also accost them for allegedly engineering addictive features that contribute to mental health crises among youth.
Most of the new restrictions placed on Meta will need to be maintained for a minimum of five years and are subject to become even more stringent should their competitors adopt matching regulations. A notable detail is Florida’s decision to opt out of the principal settlement, deeming the alternative offer insufficient.
Despite this significant settlement, various private lawsuits and ongoing state actions against social media firms remain a pertinent issue in the background. The Meta-child safety settlement, set for completion by August 26, 2026, establishes some of the strictest default usage standards seen on major platforms thus far, reflecting a larger call for accountability in the social media landscape regarding the protection of younger audiences.
Our Thoughts
To avoid the issues highlighted in the legal proceedings against Meta, several key actions could have been implemented. Firstly, Meta should have conducted thorough risk assessments in line with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, focusing specifically on the potential psychological risks associated with its platforms for young users.
Additionally, the company’s design practices could have been scrutinized under the principles of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, ensuring that the welfare of users, particularly vulnerable groups like children, was prioritized in app development.
The breaches of applicable regulations included failing to adequately protect young users from addictive features, and not implementing sufficient age-verification systems.
For similar incidents to be prevented, social media companies need to adopt best practices from the Digital Economy Act 2017, which emphasizes the importance of online safety and age-appropriate design. Implementing robust parental control features and engaging in transparent communication about risks could further minimize harm. Regular audits, similar to those required by legal agreements, can help ensure ongoing compliance with health and safety standards.
