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How Facebook and Instagram will change after Meta's $18B settlement - and where the money is going

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Why This Matters

The settlement signifies a major shift in how Meta will manage teen safety and mental health on Facebook and Instagram, with substantial financial investment aimed at improving online safety for minors. These changes reflect increased regulatory scrutiny and a push for more responsible social media practices, impacting both industry standards and user experience.

Key Takeaways

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Meta has settled a lawsuit surrounding teen social media use.

The settlement brings big changes and an $18 billion penalty.

That money will go to child online safety programs.

Meta has announced that it agreed to a settlement in a landmark child safety lawsuit, and sweeping changes are coming to Facebook and Instagram as a result -- plus $18 billion in funding for online safety initiatives, youth mental health, and other programs.

The lawsuit, which alleges the tech company purposefully designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to minors, misled the public about how safe the platforms were, and illegally harvested private data from teen users, was brought by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from nearly every US state.

This suit was filed in 2023.

Also: How to delete Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram - if you want Meta out of your life

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