The changes coming to Facebook and Instagram for teens, following Meta's $17 billion settlement
Pending a judge's approval, big changes could be coming for kids using social media after 48 states reached a settlement with tech giant Meta.
Pending a judge's approval, big changes could be coming for kids using social media after 48 states reached a settlement with tech giant Meta.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has reached a $17 billion settlement with 48 states claiming the tech giant designed addictive features that harmed kids and illegally collected their data.
The settlement includes big changes to the platforms aimed at improving online safety for kids.
The changes include some default protections, including:
- A two-hour daily time limit that can only be turned off with parental permission,
- Night mode that blocks app access between midnight and 6 a.m.
- School mode that mutes notifications between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- Hiding "like" counts
- Disabling makeup and cosmetic filters
- Opt-in features like disabling autoplay, in an attempt to limit endless scrolling.
The settlement funds will be distributed to states over the next 10 years to support youth mental health and education initiatives. But Meta is also calling on its own industry competitors to take similar action.
"Because teens move freely among dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution," C.J. Mahoney, Meta's chief legal officer, said in a video statement. "We therefore call on our industry peers, TikTok and YouTube, to implement this new framework right away."
Several critics stress more work is needed to ensure kids' safety online and argue that bipartisan federal legislation is necessary to make protections permanent across all social media platforms.
The settlement saw rare bipartisan support, with nearly all 50 states signing on.
New Mexico and Florida were two states that did not join the case.
New Mexico had already taken Meta to trial earlier this month, securing similar concessions.
Meanwhile, Florida is pursuing its own lawsuit, calling the $17 billion settlement "peanuts" compared to the harm leaders allege Meta has caused to children.
Watch more on the $17 billion settlement with Meta:
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