Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), released the following statement reacting to the $17.1 billion settlement between 51 AGs and Meta over social media addiction claims:
“CCDH research repeatedly shows how Meta and the social media industry profit by harming children. Fifty-one attorneys general did what Congress has refused to do for a decade: they stood up to one of the world’s richest companies, secured protections for children, and put an independent auditor inside Meta. This is a genuine victory for the AGs that belongs to all the parents and survivors who have spent years demanding action. That matters, but let’s also acknowledge that this is a static list of fixes to products that are already out there.
$17 billion over ten years is less than one percent of Meta’s yearly revenue. Whatever Meta and other companies ship next is not on that list, including AI, and these fixes expire in 10 years. Courts, including the Supreme Court, have repeatedly asked Congress to reform Big Tech’s “Get Out of Jail Free” card, Section 230. The time has come for Congress to take action and set standards for these corporations and a framework for restitution when they harm people.”
