Meta has agreed to an $18 billion settlement with 52 US attorneys general over claims that its platforms harmed children.
The lawsuit was instituted by 29 US states, the BBC
reported.
Speaking on the agreement in a statement on Wednesday, the
social media firm said the deal would lead to stricter measures to protect
Facebook and Instagram users.
The measures, according to the tech company, include
stricter limits on teenagers’ screen time, overnight access, school-hour
notifications, and new parental controls.
While still subject to judicial approval, Meta said the
measures would automatically apply to users under 18 years in “participating
United States and territories”.
C.J. Mahoney, Meta’s chief legal officer, said the agreement
would establish new rules for teenagers’ use of social media.
“I’m pleased to announce that Meta has reached an agreement
with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general from around the country on a
new set of rules governing teens’ use of social media,” Mahoney was quoted as
saying.
Meta said teenagers will only be able to turn off the limit
with parental permission.
The company said it will also block teens from accessing its
apps between midnight and 6 am, while notifications will be muted by default
from 8 am to 3 pm during school hours.
“Our new Time Limit commitments, Night Mode features and
usage limits during school hours set the right path forward for our whole
industry, but this framework will only work if all our peers join us,” Mahoney
said.
According to the statement, teenagers will receive prompts
after every 15 minutes of continuous screen time and when their total daily
usage reaches 60 and 90 minutes.
Meta also said the agreement includes a payment of
approximately $18 billion, which will be distributed in annual instalments over
10 years.
Under the arrangement, participating states are expected to
receive about 70 percent, or approximately $12.7 billion, of the allocated
payment over the decade.
The organisation noted that the remaining $5.3 billion will
be released only after TikTok and YouTube meet specified conditions.
Meta said it expects to record approximately $10 billion in
legal expenses in the third quarter (Q3) of 2026 as a result of the agreement.
The company said the charge was not included in the expense
range provided during its second-quarter (Q2) earnings call.
The agreement will also establish an independent social
media research foundation to support research into teen wellbeing.
Meta said it would share consented user data with the
foundation, while an independent auditor will review its compliance with the
agreement annually for five years.
The company said most of the provisions will remain in place
for 10 years.
META CALLS ON TIKTOK, YOUTUBE TO JOIN TEEN SAFETY DEAL
Meta also called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same
measures, arguing that teenagers move between multiple social media platforms.
Mahoney said broader industry participation was necessary
for the measures to be effective.
“Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need
an industry-wide solution,” he said.
“We therefore call on our industry peers, TikTok and
YouTube, to implement this new framework, right away.”
Meta said the agreement would be strengthened if TikTok and
YouTube joined, noting that the daily limit would then fall to one hour per
app, while the overnight block would be extended from 10 pm to 7 am.
Meta said the initial five-year commitments for its time
limit and night mode measures would also be extended to 10 years.
The company said the agreement will also allow teens to
choose a non-algorithmic feed, turn off autoplay and hide the number of likes
and reactions on posts by default.
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