Meta will pay up to $16.7 billion and make sweeping changes to Instagram and Facebook to settle a major US court case. The company has been fighting a lawsuit against the attorneys general of 29 US states, who accused it of knowingly damaging young people’s wellbeing with its platforms. Now, the two sides have reached a settlement that commits Meta to bring in a host of changes, including daily limits and nighttime blocks on teenagers’ accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
Young people will also be blocked from being able to see the number of likes or reactions to posts. In advance of the case, it had been hailed as a major opportunity for Meta and its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to answer claims that it had harmed children. The hearings had already brought a series of dramatic accusations, including claims that Meta had deliberately hidden evidence of the ways that its platforms were damaging young people’s mental health.
But, overnight, reports suggested that Meta and states attorneys general were working towards a mid-trial settlement that would bring the hearings to an end. Meta, which has always denied the claims in the case, did not admit to wrongdoing as part of the newly announced settlement. The major case is just one part of a range of legal actions and regulatory investigations into Meta.
States, local governments, school districts and individuals have alleged that Meta and other social media companies fueled a nationwide youth mental health crisis. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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