Meta child safety lawsuit and $567M court order
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Meta's $18 billion settlement puts TikTok and YouTube on notice
Meta said it will pay around $12.7 billion of the settlement to the states over a period of 10 years.
Meta was ordered to pay over $900 million in penalties in a separate social-media case brought by New Mexico.
Meta said it will implement a 2-hour daily usage limit for users under 18 that only a parent can lift.
Meta announces new limits for young users amid child safety pressure
The settlement did not include any admission of fault.
Meta will withhold $5bn of the settlement and only release it if YouTube, TikTok and others also enter into similar agreements.
The settlement was announced on Wednesday in the middle of a highly-anticipated trial where Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg was expected to testify.
Parent activist criticizes Meta settlement as 'peanuts,' calls on Zuckerberg to speak out
Cheryl Brown said Meta's changes are too focused on parental tools and do not force the company to change how its platforms interact with children.
Cheryl Brown said Meta's settlement is 'peanuts' and does not bring McKenna or other lost children back.
Cheryl Brown and other parents joined under the banner ParentsSOS to push Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).
Meta's multi-billion dollar settlement mandates new child safety safeguards
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the settlement is the highest amount of money ever paid in a case like this.
The settlement includes stronger age assurance technology to remove users under 13 and ensure 13-to-17-year-olds access age-appropriate versions of the apps.
TikTok agreed to a $400 million settlement with the US Department of Justice on August 21 to resolve allegations of children's online privacy law violations.
“This means features like disappearing messages, infinite scroll, the ability to gift and livestreaming remain unaddressed. Similarly, little has been announced on how Meta’s AI chatbots will be made safer – better guardrails are needed, particularly when children raise safeguarding concerns.”
Meta agrees to sweeping changes to apps for teens in settlement with state AGs
Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap face thousands more similar US lawsuits brought by families, individuals, school districts and other attorneys general.
Meta agreed to significant changes to its Instagram and Facebook apps in a settlement that ended a landmark lawsuit.
Meta denies wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
“gives notice to others in the industry that we're not done, and we expect similar outcomes from them as well.”
Parents question Meta $18B settlement over kids' social media harms
The agreement specifies that Meta cannot use data from users under age 13 for ad targeting, marketing, or algorithmic optimization.
The settlement agreement says the state AGs have agreed not to bring any past, present, or future COPPA claims or claims under similar state laws related to Meta's use of children's data.
The settlement agreement includes a provision that states agreed not to sue Meta under existing child safety laws over its retention and use of children's data for the limited purpose of training and testing Meta's age-assurance model.
Meta $18bn settlement and changes for child users on social platforms
In March, in a case in New Mexico, Meta was found liable for causing harms to children and asked to pay a $375m fine.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified that Instagram added a pop-up feature to all teen accounts in 2024, asking them to take a break from scrolling, as well as a quiet mode for notifications.
Parents held a banner with the names of 398 children who they say had died because of social media addiction and bullying.
“The fact is that teens move fluidly between dozens of apps a day. All platforms should empower parents and support teens by putting the same measures in place, because we know that when teens are restricted on one app, they simply move to another,”
Instagram chief testifies at Meta trial about teen safety feature
Meta rejected accusations that it sought to addict children, saying its research showed no clear link between adolescents' social media use and a lack of wellbeing.
Arturo Bejar, a former Meta engineering director, testified that Take a Break is a feature designed to fail.
Four of the suing states are California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey.
Meta agrees to $18 billion settlement over child safety claims
Meta said the payments will be distributed annually over 10 years, with participating states receiving approximately $12.7 billion.
Meta reached an agreement with 52 attorneys general across states, U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., to pay up to $18 billion and overhaul teen experiences on Facebook and Instagram.
Meta Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney called on TikTok, YouTube and other platforms to adopt the same safeguards as those in the settlement framework.
Meta agrees to $17 billion settlement in child-safety case
The settlement deal includes imposing tighter usage limits.
The settlement concerns allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users.
Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion in a settlement with US states.
Jim Cramer says don't sell Meta on litigation risk
Meta is facing a federal lawsuit brought by 29 state attorneys general.
Jim Cramer said litigation risk is not a good reason long-term to sell Meta stock.
On March 24, a jury in New Mexico ruled that Meta willfully violated consumer protection laws by harming children's mental health through its deceptive product design.
Meta legal troubles drive options trading activity
California AG Bonta comments on state case against Meta
Meta disputes Bonta's claim that the $1.4 trillion figure was estimated by Meta
The trial stems from a lawsuit filed in 2023
The attorneys general allege that the design and features of Facebook and Instagram encouraged addictive behavior in children and are detrimental to their mental wellbeing
“That's not possible. In an ideal world, they would all commit to the same reforms and changes to all kids and keep them safe.”
Options traders position around Meta's legal risk
Meta faces a $6 million bellwether loss in Los Angeles.
Meta faces a nearly $1 billion New Mexico judgment.
A theoretical worst case of $1.4 trillion in damages has been floated in the case against Meta.
New Mexico court orders Meta to pay additional $567M in child safety case
The judge said Meta's platforms play a significant part in the mental health crisis among youth in New Mexico.
The court ordered Meta to remove Like counts and only show such metrics to children under 18 with parental or guardian approval.
The court ordered push notifications to underaged users in New Mexico to be paused between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content. We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts,”