Meta agrees to $18 billion settlement and child safeguards
Meta agreed to pay US$18 billion over 10 years to settle a US federal trial that accused its platforms of harming children and misleading the public, and it promised new safeguards for teen accounts such as two-hour daily limits, midnight blocks, disabled school-hour notifications, non-algorithmic feeds and age-restriction measures. The final 30 percent of the payout will be conditioned on other platforms like YouTube and TikTok adopting similar limits and matching parts of the payment. Experts say the settlement could pressure global regulators and competitors, but its long rollout, lack of a court judgment and enforcement challenges leave outcomes uncertain.
Meta will pay US$18 billion and impose teen usage limits.
Context
Regulators and plaintiffs sued Meta in a US federal trial over harms to children. Meta reached a settlement on August 26 with payment and product change terms. Other countries and platforms may push for similar measures next.
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