Meta agrees to $18 billion teen safety settlement
- Meta (NASDAQ:META) agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims from 29 U.S. states related to children’s online safety.
- The company will not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement.
- Meta stated that the agreement focuses on teen protections and parental controls while encouraging broader industry standards.
Meta (NASDAQ:META) agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims from 29 U.S. states alleging that its platforms contributed to risks for children and collected data from young users without proper parental knowledge.
The lawsuit claimed that Meta’s platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, were designed in ways that encouraged excessive use among children despite concerns about potential harms.
“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” said Meta.
The settlement does not include an admission of wrongdoing by Meta, while the company stated that it worked with state attorneys general to establish protections for teens and parental controls.
Meta stated that the agreement includes efforts to improve teen safety measures and encouraged other platforms, including YouTube and TikTok, to adopt similar protections.
The settlement follows legal actions from multiple U.S. states that raised concerns about social media design practices, youth safety, and compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
