Meta Agrees to $18 Billion Settlement Over Teen Addiction Claims

Meta Platforms has agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle allegations that it designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for teenagers. This settlement, which is the largest of its kind in social media history, comes after a federal lawsuit involving 47 states and Washington, D.C.

Under the terms of the agreement, Meta will implement several new restrictions for users aged 13 to 17. These include:

• A cap on daily usage at two hours.
• Blocking access to accounts between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent.
• Limiting push notifications during school hours.
• Strengthening protections against age-restricted content.

Approximately $12.7 billion of the settlement is guaranteed, while an additional $5.3 billion hinges on whether competing platforms like TikTok and YouTube adopt similar safety measures. The settlement also includes a $459 million payment to resolve state privacy claims related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has indicated her support for the settlement, which aims to address the mental health impacts of social media on adolescents. The agreement could set a significant precedent for ongoing and future lawsuits against social media companies.