Meta has officially ended a landmark legal standoff over social media addiction among children, agreeing to pay some $18 billion over the next ten years and make sweeping changes to how it approaches child safety.
The lawsuit, organized by the attorneys general of 29 US states, alleged that Meta executives like Mark Zuckerberg created a system that abused data collected from minors, while feigning ignorance about the harms their platforms caused.
Though $18 billion is peanuts compared to Meta’s expected $130 billion annual capex, it still represents a significant windfall to be divided amongst the states that brought the suit. Had Meta refused to settle and lost, the company could have faced as much as $200 billion in combined penalties, Reuters reported — suggesting that the social media giant was probably at least somewhat concerned about the possibility of a loss.
But beyond money, the settlement’s required changes to Meta platforms are significant. They include a two-hour daily time limit for minors, “nighttime blocks” restricting kids’ access to Meta feeds after a certain time, school-time access limits, a stronger age-verification system, heftier moderation of children’s content, and limits to its controversial social comparison features.
In a statement viewed by Reuters, Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser said that the “relief we are getting in this settlement is very meaningful and well beyond what any court has ordered or is likely to order.”
Importantly, Meta’s agreement to implement a two-hour time limit for minors on Facebook and Instagram is binding for up to five years. If rival platforms Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube also adopt similar rules, the agreement stipulates that Meta will drop the limit to just one hour and extend enforcement to a total of 10 years.
It’s certainly not the end-all of child internet safety, but it nonetheless represents a significant concession from one of the most powerful social media companies on the planet — not to mention one that will probably cut into its bottom line.
Northwestern University law professor James Speta, who specializes in internet policy, told Reuters that “this is a big deal.”
“Meta and other companies were facing pressure to change business practices whether or not they lost the lawsuits, from the public and from congress and state legislatures,” Speta said. “These restrictions will change the experience on Instagram and Facebook, and they are designed to reduce engagement.”
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