Meta Pays Up to $16.68 Billion to Settle 29-State Child Addiction Suit
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 26
Meta Pays Up to $16.68 Billion to Settle 29-State Child Addiction Suit
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 26
Summary
$16.68 billion would resolve claims by 29 states that Meta made Facebook and Instagram addictive to children, misled the public about safety and illegally collected minors' data.
The deal, disclosed in a court filing Wednesday, requires daily time caps and overnight restrictions for teens, stronger age checks and expanded parental controls nationwide.
The settlement halted a federal trial in Oakland after testimony from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and other Meta employees; Mark Zuckerberg had also been expected to testify.
Meta denied wrongdoing, but the agreement removes appeal rights after final judgment and sharply narrows exposure after Meta had warned penalties could reach $1.4 trillion.
The case is one of more than 3,000 lawsuits targeting Meta and other social media companies over claims they designed platforms to hook young users.