Meta to pay $18 billion in social media addiction settlement
Meta denies wrongdoing but agreed to new teen controls after 29 states sued over allegations involving Facebook and Instagram.
WASHINGTON (NBC News)- Meta has agreed to settle a lawsuit over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed to be addictive and harmful to teens’ mental health.
Meta denies the allegations, but the company is promising major changes for teen users and is urging other social media companies to take similar steps.
The settlement comes after 29 states sued Meta over its social media platforms.
California mother Victoria Hinks has been among those pushing for change after her 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide. Hinks believes social media played a major role in her daughter’s death.
“I don’t want her short 16 years to be in vain,” Hinks said. “And I felt like today was finally something was done.”
Settlement to fund youth online safety
Meta will pay $18 billion to fund youth online safety measures.
The lawsuit alleged Meta’s social media apps were designed to be addictive and harmed teens’ mental health.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the company knew about the dangers.
“And that the company knew about these dangers and lied to teens, to parents and to the public,” Bonta said.
Meta denies the allegations but agreed to new controls for teen users.
New controls for teens
The changes include two-hour daily limits and blocks on nighttime use for teens.
Meta also agreed to strengthen steps to verify a user’s age.
The company will also hide features such as “like” counts and extreme beauty filters.
Meta is now urging other sites, including TikTok and YouTube, to make similar changes.
CJ Mahoney, Meta’s chief legal officer, said teens use many platforms.
“Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution,” Mahoney said.
Meta is promising to pay a final portion of the settlement only if other companies follow suit.
Other companies face scrutiny
Attorneys general across the country say they will continue pursuing social media companies over similar concerns.
“We are happy to talk to TikTok and Snap and Google about this,” North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said. “We’re also happy to take them to court.”
Attorneys general in several states have already begun litigation against TikTok and YouTube, accusing them of similarly addictive features.
NBC News reached out to those companies for comment about potential changes, but had not heard back.
