On Wednesday, Meta agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion in penalties over ten years and make major changes to its products in a landmark settlement agreement between the tech giant and 47 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The settlement is one of the largest ever paid by a tech company to states. Meta agreed to the financial penalties for violating federal child privacy and state consumer protection laws. The company also agreed to limit the amount of time teenagers can spend on its platforms and ban features that fuel mental health issues. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey were seeking around $200 billion over accusations that Meta harmed children. Wednesday’s settlement effectively ends the bellwether federal trial, but Meta still faces several other lawsuits from school districts and individuals. Phil Weiser, Colorado’s attorney general, said in a statement, “The focus of this case was to protect our kids: stopping notifications and alerts at night and when they are in school, encouraging them to take breaks from social media, protecting them against harmful features, implementing age-assurance technology, and more.” He added that the company’s agreement to pay and make product changes “is very meaningful and well beyond what any court has ordered or is likely to order.” In March, Meta and YouTube lost their first personal injury case and were ordered to pay $6 million in damages. This month, in a separate case, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay nearly $1 billion in penalties for violations of consumer protection laws. The attorney general for the District of Columbia, Brian Schwalb, said in a statement, “This is a monumental public health victory for young people in D.C. and across the country, and the safety features Meta is required to install will fundamentally and immediately change how young people use Instagram and Facebook.” In April, I spoke with Mark Lanier, the attorney who won a landmark personal injury case against Meta and Google. Watch as he explains how tech giants try to avoid responsibility for addicting children to their social platforms.
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