Following allegations that it made Instagram and Facebook addictive for minors, Meta reached an agreement on Wednesday with approximately 40 U.S. states to put an end to the legal proceedings against it, agreeing to pay up to $16.7 billion and impose restrictions on its apps for teenagers.
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram also agreed to restrict its apps by default for users under 18, to two hours per day and no use at all during the night in the affected states, according to the draft settlement filed today, which must also be approved by a federal judge in Oakland (California).
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These restrictions will apply only to adolescents in the states that sign the agreement, which clarifies that it sets no precedent elsewhere, “nor in any international court.”
The announcement comes one week after the start of proceedings in this high-profile trial, following two historic convictions of Meta in similar cases this year, in Santa Fe (New Mexico) and Los Angeles (California).
A coalition of 29 states, four of which filed the lawsuit in Oakland, accused Meta of designing its platforms to keep teenagers hooked, that it lied about the platforms’ effects on children, and that it violated a federal law regarding the collection of data from children under the age of 13. The states were seeking fines of up to $200 billion.
The settlement, signed by 51 U.S. states and territories, also resolves approximately 15 legal proceedings before state courts, including the Tennessee lawsuit, a legal proceeding that had been underway in Nashville since late July. New Mexico and Florida are not signing the agreement and are continuing with their own legal proceedings.
California Attorney General Rob Bonda expressed satisfaction with the agreement, which “will make social media less dangerous for children,” citing the “massive changes” that Meta has agreed to make “within a few months” to its mechanisms for protecting young users.
The agreement “does not constitute an admission of liability,” and the company continues to deny the allegations.
“This framework will only be effective if our peers adopt it as well,” commented Meta’s general counsel, Curtis Joseph Mahoney, citing TikTok and YouTube. “Teens use dozens of apps, so we need an industry-wide solution.”
Of the 16.7 billion, 11.7 billion is guaranteed and will be paid in 10 annual installments through 2035. The remaining 5 billion will be paid only if the platforms Snap, TikTok, and YouTube—which have also received thousands of complaints in the United States—agree to equivalent restrictions.
The agreement primarily calls for the implementation of a default “night mode” that will block users aged 13 to 18 from accessing Meta’s social media platforms from midnight to 6 a.m., except for messaging, and will disable notifications from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and during school hours.
Within six months, teens will also be limited to just two hours a day of combined Instagram and Facebook use. “Like” counters will be hidden, and filters that mimic cosmetic surgery will be disabled.
Only a parent—whose account must be linked to the teen’s account—will be able to relax these settings. An independent auditor will verify their implementation.
These restrictions could be tightened to one hour per day and a block from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. if the platforms Snap, TikTok, and YouTube follow the same rules.
Meta is focusing on the creation of its “teen accounts” in 2024, with restrictive settings enabled by default, but whose time limits remain optional and are rarely activated, according to testimony heard in Oakland.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri admitted on Tuesday that he had praised the success of a pause tool, even though the company knew it was enabled by only “1 or 2%” of minors. Mark Zuckerberg is expected to appear in court, six months after a deposition before a Los Angeles court that was deemed unconvincing.
A Los Angeles jury had ruled that Meta, along with YouTube (Google), for a teenager’s addiction, awarding her $6 million in damages in March. In New Mexico, the Menlo Park-based company was subsequently ordered to pay a total of approximately $1 billion in fines and damages. The company has appealed both rulings.
Numerous legal proceedings are still ongoing in the United States, initiated by families of young users and school districts, accusing Meta, as well as Snap, TikTok, and YouTube, of causing social media addiction and exacerbating psychological disorders, such as behavioral problems, among American youth.
Source: KYPE
