Meta must make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months.
OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general today announced a proposed settlement, which remains subject to court approval through entry of a consent judgment, resolving the Attorney General's lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta), alleging among other things, that the company designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that drive compulsive use by children and teens to their mental and physical detriment, all the while misleading users, their families, and the public regarding the existence and severity of these risks. Trial in this case began on August 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Today’s settlement, subject to court approval, provides for strong injunctive terms designed to help protect children from the mental health harms associated with social media, including default daily time limits on social media and a block on overnight use that can only be lifted by a parent, enhanced parental supervision tools, robust age assurance measures to detect users under 18 and children under 13 that are on the platform, and the appointment of an independent auditor to oversee compliance. The proposed settlement also includes a monetary payment of up to $17 billion to the states over ten years — California alone will receive $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion if this settlement is approved by the court.
