Meta plans new controls for under-18s on Instagram and Facebook after €14.3bn settlement in US trial
Meta also agreed to make changes for teenage users of Facebook and Instagram nationwide, including daily usage limits and nighttime blocks, court papers show.
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta has agreed to pay up to $18bn (€15.45bn) as part of a settlement ending a legal battle in the US, where it will also introduce major new protections for teenage users.
The agreement resolves claims filed by 47 US states accusing the tech giant of designing Instagram with features that are addictive to children and teenagers and can harm their mental health.
It brings an end to a trial that kicked off last week in California and that had expected to see chief executive Mark Zuckerberg give evidence before a jury in federal court.
The settlement is viewed as one of the largest in state consumer protection history in the US.
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Jay Jones, the attorney general for Virginia, said: “For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health.”
He said the settlement would “put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm”.
Meta unveiled a set of new protections and controls that will automatically apply to under-18s on Instagram and Facebook, subject to court approval and only for participating US states.
This includes a default night-time block, between midnight and 6am, muting notifications during school hours, hiding the number of 'likes' and reactions on posts by default, and blocking teens from using extreme makeup filters.
Meta has also committed to strengthening tools to prevent underage accounts being created and protecting teenagers from harmful content.
These new measures will not apply to users worldwide.
The total settlement will be made in instalments over 10 years to the US states involved.
Meta called on rival social media platforms TikTok and YouTube to make similar changes to restrict teenage usage.
It warned that 30% of the settlement, amounting to about $5.2bn, would only be paid if YouTube and TikTok agreed to pay the same sum, and if they implement one-hour daily limits, night mode, and age-assurance measures.
Meta’s chief legal office CJ Mahoney said its new protections for teenagers “will only work if all our peers join us”.
“Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution,” he said.
“As a parent, I’m proud of both the work Meta has done to protect kids historically, and of this new ground-breaking agreement.
“But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta’s lead.”
Meta, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok still face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts over claims they knowingly designed their platforms to have features that are addictive to children and teens, fueling a mental health crisis.
The federal cases were consolidated before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, and include lawsuits brought by individuals, school districts and state governments.
Thousands more cases against the companies are pending in state courts. A judge in Los Angeles is overseeing thousands of lawsuits brought by individuals who say they or their loved ones were harmed by the platforms' designs.
Around 30 states have filed lawsuits against the companies in state courts, court records show. A trial has been ongoing in Nashville since July over claims brought by the state against Meta.
The settlement comes after Meta lost both phases of a landmark lawsuit brought by New Mexico.
A jury in March ordered it to pay $375m after finding it had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms. On August 6, a judge found Meta had created a public nuisance and ordered it to pay an additional $567m, and implement youth-safety measures.
Also in March, the first trial over an individual’s claims against Meta and Google ended with a verdict in the plaintiff's favour.
A Los Angeles jury found the companies liable for plaintiff Kaley GM's depression and anxiety and ordered them to pay a combined $6m in damages.
The companies have said they will appeal those verdicts.
All four companies settled the first case set for trial in federal court, where a Kentucky school district alleged they were liable for harm to students. Breathitt County School District was set to receive a combined $27m.
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