PHILADELPHIA (AP/ KYW Newsradio) — Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, according to state attorneys general, who made the announcement Wednesday.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023, but the deal cuts short the trial, which was expected to see CEO Mark Zuckerberg take the stand before a jury in federal court in California.
The settlement includes $525 million for New Jersey.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said Meta has agreed to their demands, including “stronger safety features, ongoing oversight [and] accountability.”
The safety changes include a daily two-hour limit for users under 18 that can be lifted only by a parent. There’s also a ban on displaying likes or reactions, a ban on cosmetic filters, and default blocks on notifications when kids should be sleeping.
Those are all features that prosecutors argued were designed to addict users to Facebook and Instagram.
A former engineering director at Meta testified last week that Meta took a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to kids under 13 on its platforms. Meta argued that it has taken steps to protect kids.
