Meta to pay up to $18 billion in U.S. youth safety settlements
The agreements resolve claims that the company designed its platforms to encourage excessive use among children and failed to adequately disclose potential risks to young users. Meta denied wrongdoing, saying in an official statement that providing teenagers with a safe and productive experience on its platforms remained a priority.
Under the settlement terms, Meta will introduce default daily limits for teenage users of Facebook and Instagram for the next 10 years. Use will be restricted to two hours per day, while access between midnight and 6 a.m. will be blocked unless a parent provides consent. Most push notifications will also be disabled during school hours, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Meta will strengthen measures intended to prevent minors from accessing age-restricted content. The controls could be tightened further depending on whether Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube introduce comparable protections. However, the settlement does not require Meta to discontinue personalized recommendations or targeted advertising for teenage users.
Payments of up to approximately $17.7 billion will be distributed among 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. About $12.7 billion is guaranteed, while an additional $5 billion is linked to the introduction of similar youth protections by other major social media platforms.
California could receive $2.2 billion, while payments to New York and Texas may each exceed $1 billion. Some jurisdictions intend to direct part of the funds toward children's mental health programs, while others will place the money in their general accounts. The package also includes a separate $459 million payment to settle state privacy claims connected with the Cambridge Analytica case.
The main multistate settlement, excluding Texas, requires approval from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. At a public hearing, the judge described the agreement as a positive step and indicated that she expected to approve it. The settlement brings an end to a federal trial that began on August 18.
The proceedings included consumer protection claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. Another 29 states accused Meta of collecting children's personal data without parental consent and using the information to train generative artificial intelligence systems. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in an official statement that the agreement secured substantial protections for children.
New Mexico and Florida did not join the settlements, with Florida authorities saying they intended to continue litigation. Meta also faces separate cases filed by individuals, school districts, municipalities and government bodies over the alleged effects of social media use on children's mental health.
Earlier this year, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in a youth safety case. A judge later imposed an additional $567 million payment and directed the company to introduce further protections for young users. Meta has said it will appeal those decisions.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Meta went on trial Tuesday in a federal court in California, where four U.S. states accused the company of building its platforms to keep minors hooked and of gathering data on children without parental consent.
