Meta agrees to up to $18 billion deal over teen safety claims
What's new: The pact would impose 10 years of teen safeguards, including a default two-hour daily limit across Facebook and Instagram.
Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a multistate U.S. case accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram in ways that harmed and addicted children. The deal, reached during trial, does not include an admission of wrongdoing and would spread payments over 10 years. It also requires new protections for known teen users, including a default two-hour daily limit across both platforms, hidden like counts, muted notifications overnight and during school hours, tighter age checks and an independent auditor. The lawsuit was brought in 2023 by U.S. states and attorneys general. Mark Zuckerberg had been expected to testify before the case ended in settlement.