Facebook’s parent company Meta has agreed to settle a court case alleging that its platforms harm children for up to $18-billion, and will implement daily time limits, overnight lockouts and stronger parental controls.
Meta will pay $12-billion over 10 years, with that amount rising to $17-billion if other major social media companies agree to similar protections.
The company has agreed to set restrictions whereby children under 18 will have a combined two-hour daily limit on Facebook and Instagram, and will be locked out from midnight to 06h00. Parents can lift these restrictions.
If other social media platforms agree to similar restrictions, Facebook and Instagram daily limits will drop to one hour and the overnight block will be from 22h00 to 07h00.
Messaging is exempt from the restrictions, as are long-form videos.
The case, which started last week, was brought by 29 US states.
In the 2023 filing, the states claimed that Meta had contravened a number of federal and state privacy laws protecting children, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in place to pre-teens from being targeted by businesses operating online.
The case hinged on accusations that Instagram and Facebook were deliberately designed to be addictive to children and teens, making it difficult for them to reduce their usage. Notifications are also designed to keep bringing users back on to the platform.
In addition, the plaintiffs said Meta had not only misled them about the safely of the platforms, but also collected children’s personal data.
Meta has denied all the claims.
The social media giant has committed to strengthening its technology to better estimate whether accounts are being used by children and teens. It has also called on app stores to provide verified age information.