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Meta child safety lawsuit and $567M court order

One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.

23 DAYS
239 FACTS
17 EVENTS
19 SOURCES
FIRST ENTRY AUG 07
AUG 29 · Day 23

Meta's $18 billion settlement puts TikTok and YouTube on notice

Meta said it will implement a 2-hour daily usage limit for users under 18 that only a parent can lift.

The remaining $5.3 billion of the settlement is conditional on TikTok and YouTube making similar changes to their apps for younger users.

Meta settled a lawsuit brought by a coalition of U.S. states for up to $18 billion.

AUG 28 · Day 22

Meta announces new limits for young users amid child safety pressure

Meta said it would further tighten its time limit to one hour if other platforms implement similar restrictions.

The settlement was announced on Wednesday in the middle of a highly-anticipated trial where Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg was expected to testify.

The settlement included 48 states, plus the District of Columbia and three US territories.

AUG 27 · Day 21

Parents question Meta $18B settlement over kids' social media harms

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.

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.

AUG 27 · Day 21

Meta's multi-billion dollar settlement mandates new child safety safeguards

Most of the settlement terms are required to remain in place for 10 years.

Teens or parents can choose a non-algorithmic feed that only includes content from accounts that teens follow or are otherwise connected to.

Most of the new safeguards will roll out within six months.

“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.”
ELLA BRADSHAW verbatim
AUG 27 · Day 21

Meta $18bn settlement and changes for child users on social platforms

Parents held a banner with the names of 398 children who they say had died because of social media addiction and bullying.

29 US states sued Meta over design flaws in its products that the plaintiffs said led to children becoming addicted and allowed them to be contacted by drug dealers, cyberbullied, extorted and abused.

Mosseri confirmed that parents had no way of knowing that only 1 percent to 2 percent of children used this feature.

“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,”
META verbatim
AUG 27 · Day 21

Meta agrees to sweeping changes to apps for teens in settlement with state AGs

Meta agreed to significant changes to its Instagram and Facebook apps in a settlement that ended a landmark lawsuit.

Meta agreed to establish safeguards for teenage users, including daily usage limits and blocks on night-time use nationwide in the US.

Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap face thousands more similar US lawsuits brought by families, individuals, school districts and other attorneys general.

“gives notice to others in the industry that we're not done, and we expect similar outcomes from them as well.”
ROB BONTA verbatim
AUG 27 · Day 21

Parent activist criticizes Meta settlement as 'peanuts,' calls on Zuckerberg to speak out

Meta agreed to a $17 billion settlement in a child social media addiction lawsuit.

Meta's settlement includes a ban on children under 13 accessing Meta's platforms.

Reports indicated Zuckerberg told others at Meta he wished the issue had been solved by Congress before the lawsuit became necessary.

AUG 26 · Day 20

Meta agrees to $17 billion settlement in child-safety case

The settlement concerns allegations that Facebook and Instagram misled consumers about their safety.

Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion in a settlement with US states.

The settlement concerns allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users.

AUG 26 · Day 20

Meta agrees to $18 billion settlement over child safety claims

Another $5.3 billion of the settlement will be released only if TikTok and YouTube implement specified child-safety measures and make matching payments.

An independent auditor will assess Meta's implementation of and compliance with the agreement.

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.

AUG 26 · Day 20

Instagram chief testifies at Meta trial about teen safety feature

Arturo Bejar, a former Meta engineering director, testified that Take a Break is a feature designed to fail.

George Volichenko stated that company leadership declined to approve turning on Quiet Mode by default for young teenagers.

Adam Mosseri testified at Meta's trial on Tuesday as it entered its second week.

AUG 24 · Day 18

Jim Cramer says don't sell Meta on litigation risk

Meta makes more than 90% of its revenue from advertising.

One day after the New Mexico verdict, a jury in Los Angeles determined Meta was negligent and failed to warn users of the mental health dangers associated with using its platforms.

Testimony from CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other company employees is expected.

AUG 19 · Day 13

Meta legal troubles drive options trading activity

AUG 19 · Day 13

Options traders position around Meta's legal risk

The trial against Meta is anticipated to last six to eight weeks.

Meta's market cap has fallen more than $600 billion over the past 12 months.

There are roughly 1,300 school-district claims against Meta.

AUG 19 · Day 13

California AG Bonta comments on state case against Meta

Meta and Google's YouTube lost Los Angeles personal injury proceedings in March

The trial is being held at Oakland's federal court house and is expected to last six to seven weeks

In a New Mexico case brought by AG Raúl Torrez, Meta was directed to pay $567 million into an abatement fund in the second phase of a case involving child sexual exploitation allegations

“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.”
ROB BONTA verbatim
AUG 07 · Day 1

New Mexico court orders Meta to pay additional $567M in child safety case

A New Mexico Court judge ordered Meta to pay a fine of $567 million on top of the $375 million levied in March.

The court ordered usage for underaged users in New Mexico to be limited to 90 hours a month.

A Los Angeles court ruled against Meta in March for creating addictive patterns.

“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,”
ANDY STONE verbatim
MAR 23 · Day -136

Meta trial in New Mexico over children's safety risks

FEB 09 · Day -178

Meta trial in New Mexico focuses on child sexual exploitation on social media

Quote copied with attribution