GoKawiilMeta has reached a proposed settlement worth up to approximately $18 billion with a bipartisan coalition of 52 attorneys generals over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were deliberately designed to encourage compulsive use by children and teenagers.
The settlement, which is awaiting court approval, resolves a lawsuit filed in 2023 by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general.
The lawsuit accused Meta of designing features that drove compulsive use among young users while misleading users, families, and the public about the risks of its platforms.
The attorneys general also alleged that Meta illegally collected and used data belonging to children under 13, violating federal and state laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), California's False Advertising Law, and California's Unfair Competition Law.
Under the agreement, Meta will introduce new restrictions for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram, including a default two-hour daily usage limit that can only be turned off with parental permission. If YouTube and TikTok agree to similar terms, that limit would be reduced to one hour.
Meta will also block teens from using its apps between midnight and 6 a.m. by default and mute most notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and during school hours, which a parent can modify. Direct messages and some account security or safety alerts are excluded from some of these restrictions.
Other requirements include hiding like and reaction counts from teenagers, blocking cosmetic surgery filters, providing an option for a non-personalized feed, strengthening parental supervision tools, and deploying additional age-verification technology to identify users under 18 and remove children under 13.
An independent auditor will also oversee Meta's compliance with the agreement, while the company will be prohibited from making false or misleading claims about its safety features.
Meta says the agreement includes approximately $18 billion in payments over ten years. Participating states are set to receive roughly $12.7 billion.
Another $5.3 billion will only be released if YouTube and TikTok adopt similar changes, including one-hour daily limits, nighttime restrictions, and age-assurance measures, and each makes a matching payment.
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