Meta reaches up to $18 billion teen-safety settlement in US case
What's new: Meta agreed to default time limits, mute notifications overnight and during school hours, and hide likes for teens.
Meta reached a settlement worth up to $18 billion over 10 years in a US case over child safety on Facebook and Instagram, capping a trial that ended before Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was due to testify. The company did not admit wrongdoing. During the five-day trial, former Instagram employee Arturo Bejar testified that he had warned leaders about harmful material affecting children and that no action followed. Evidence aired in court also suggested Meta knew opt-in protections had low take-up even as it rolled out some tools without making them default. Under the deal, Meta will add stricter default settings for known teen users, including a two-hour daily limit across both platforms, muted notifications from midnight to 6 a.m. and on school days from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and hidden likes on posts.