Meta Settles Teen Safety Lawsuit for $18 Billion
Meta has agreed to pay $18 billion to settle a lawsuit with 52 American state attorneys general over teen safety on their platforms. This suit alleged that Meta designed their apps to get children addicted, misled consumers about safety and improperly collected the personal data of children.
The landmark agreement will also see Meta impose 2-hour daily limits and nighttime bans for children on Facebook and Instagram. There will also be stronger regulation on content that children can consume -- posts associated with bullying, eating disorders, beauty filters and self harm, will have stronger safeguards.
Meta have denied any wrongdoing by agreeing to this settlement. They have also kept $5.3 billion of the agreement frozen, unless YouTube and TikTok agree to the same regulations, instill a 1-hour daily time limit for children and match the fine paid by Meta. If those two companies agree to these terms, Meta will reduce their time limit to 1-hour and extend their nighttime ban.
An independent auditor will monitor Meta annually for the next 5 years to ensure they comply with this settlement. Meta's legal chief CJ Mahoney emphasized the need for other platforms to follow suit; “because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution.” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb called the result a “monumental public health victory for young people.”
Teens in Canada will not be subject to these new regulations. Canadian lawmakers have introduced the Safe Social Media Act (Bill C-34) which is currently waiting on a second reading in the House of Commons. That bill would restrict social media for children under the age of 16 and install a commission designed to enforce online safety standards for youth.
MAP welcomes these types of regulations; our children’s mental health should be a top priority!
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