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Meta agreed to pay up to USD 18 billion to settle a legal case over teen safety on Facebook and Instagram. The case involved 52 attorneys general from US states, territories and the District of Columbia and was going on since three-years. As part of the settlement, Meta will add more limits for young users, including daily time limits, night-time cutoffs and fewer alerts during school hours. Parents will also get more control over teen accounts.
The payment will be made in yearly instalments over 10 years. According to the reports, around USD 12.7 billion, which the 70% of the total, will go to the states involved in the case. The other USD 5.3 billion comes with a condition for TikTok and YouTube. After the deal is done, Meta has filed rules where the daily limit for teenagers on YouTube and TikTok are limited to one-hour, along with no notifications in the night and school times.
Both these platforms have to match 30% of the amount with half of the remaining funds tied to YouTube’s payment and the remaining to TikTok’s. According to Meta authorities, common rules are needed fro all the platforms. If only Facebook and Instagram maintain these rules, teens will simply switch to other platforms who don’t have these rules.
Also Read: Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Introduce New Teen Safety Measures
The new rules could change how teens spend time on Facebook and Instagram. Parents will now get more control over the social media accounts to protect their kids. These changes could give families more opportunities over how young users interact with Meta’s apps.
The bigger issue is what happens to the other platforms. For example, TikTok and YouTube are now facing pressure to take similar steps. There is a clear safety reason for Meta’s push. Teens often use several apps, so stricter rules on just one platform may not solve the problem.
Meta’s settlement could become an important test for the wider social media industry. If TikTok and YouTube accept similar rules, teen safety could become a bigger part of how these platforms operate.
