Meta will impose daily limits on child Instagram users and pay $17 BILLION to settle claims it deliberately got youngsters hooked on its social media platforms

Social media giant Meta will pay almost $17 billion to settle a lawsuit that claimed its products Instagram and Facebook harmed young users.

Wednesday’s settlement resolves a lawsuit brought against Meta by 29 states over claims Instagram and Facebook were deliberately designed to get children hooked.

Meta was also accused of misleading users about how safe minors were on its platforms, and of improperly collecting their personal data. 

As part of the settlement, Meta will impose daily usage limits on users under the age of 18, and also make it harder for minors to access platforms at night.

‘Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families,’ California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement celebrating the development.

He maintained that Meta will enact the ‘massive transformations’ on its platforms ‘within months.’

The trial was co-led by Bonta and AGs from Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky. 

Meta owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.

Proceedings began last week in federal court in Oakland, California, and had been scheduled to run through early October. 

‘I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram – right now, no more waiting,’ Bonta said.

The AG’s office specifically said that Meta had agreed to install a default time limit of two hours for users who are under 18 and a nighttime block between the hours of midnight and 6am. Parents can lift both settings.

Other mandated defaults include restrictions on notifications during school- and nighttime hours, and a ban on showing the numbers of ‘likes’ or reactions to posts from minors.

A ban on cosmetic surgery image filters for young users was agreed upon as well.

Included but not required is an option for young users to elect for a ‘non-personalized feed’ rather than one fueled by an algorithm that carefully curates content.

Meta must also hire an independent party to ensure the company adheres to a provision ‘prohibiting it from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements around its safety features,’ Bonta said.

The settlement is set to be paid to the states over the course of ten years.

The amount is one of the highest ever agreed to be paid by a tech firm to states. 

Meta, however, still faces other lawsuits from various school districts and individuals, fueled by claims of predatory platform designs fueling an ongoing mental health crisis.

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