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Washington Examiner
Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and make sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram to settle allegations that it designed its platforms to addict children while misleading the public about their risks.
The proposed agreement resolves claims by 51 states and territories, including a federal case involving 29 states that was being tried in Oakland. The trial was in its second week when the settlement was disclosed on Wednesday. Meta will pay at least $12.1 billion over 10 years, and another $5 billion would be added if other major social media companies agree to adopt comparable youth protections, bringing the settlement's total possible value to $17.1 billion.
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The Meta logo hangs at the Vivatech show in Paris, on June 14, 2023. Nevada's attorney general has launched a go-it-alone legal fight accusing TikTok, Snapchat and Meta of creating what one lawsuit calls "an addiction machine" that exploits children too young to have self-control. Three lawsuits filed Tuesday, Jan.30, 2024, in state court allege the platforms put kids at risk of auto accidents, drug overdoses, suicides, eating disorders and sexual exploitation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
Attorneys general who sued the Big Tech company celebrated the agreement Wednesday morning, including Democratic District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who called it a "monumental public health victory."