Meta Settles for $18B to Enhance Child Online Safety

Meta has reached an $18 billion settlement during a federal trial in California, which requires the company to implement stricter safeguards for teenage users on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. The settlement mandates a default two-hour daily usage limit for teenagers, blocking access between midnight and 6 a.m., and disabling push notifications during school hours.

Additionally, Meta will introduce stronger age-verification measures and hide likes and reactions from teenage users by default. These changes will be phased in after the settlement takes effect.

Meta has committed approximately $12.7 billion of the settlement over ten years, with an additional $5 billion contingent on rival platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat, adopting similar child-safety measures. The case involved consumer-protection claims from several states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, as well as privacy claims concerning children under 13.

Meta denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement. James Speta, a law professor at Northwestern University, described the agreement as significant, indicating it would alter how teenagers engage with Facebook and Instagram.