Meta agrees to pay $23 trillion to settle US youth social media addiction lawsuit

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has reached a settlement with 47 US states and other entities to resolve lawsuits alleging the company induced addiction among young social media users. The agreement, submitted to the Northern California Federal Court, requires Meta to pay up to $23.1 trillion (approximately $16.7 billion) and implement significant changes to protect minors.

The settlement mandates that Meta will limit social media usage for users under 18 to two hours per day. Algorithms will be adjusted to reduce addictiveness, and a "school mode" will be activated during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., disabling notifications except for direct messages. If other major social media platforms adopt similar time limits, Meta's daily limit will further decrease to one hour, with nighttime restrictions extended.

Furthermore, accounts for users under 18 will default to private settings. The company will also disable personalized feeds, allowing users to see posts only from accounts they follow in chronological order. Features like "likes" will be hidden, and filters that alter appearance will be blocked. Enhanced age verification and AI models will be developed to prevent underage users, especially those under 13, from accessing the platforms.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the lawsuit, stated, "This agreement will make social media a less dangerous space for our children and bring significant changes to the lives of children and their families." The states had accused Meta of intentionally designing addictive features to keep children on its platforms without adequately warning them of the risks.

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This agreement will make social media a less dangerous space for our children and bring significant changes to the lives of children and their families.