Meta reached an $18 billion settlement with 48 U.S. states in Oakland, Calif., and agreed to stricter child-safety rules for Instagram and Facebook. The changes include stronger age checks, a two-hour daily limit for users under 18, a midnight-to-6 a.m. block, and hidden like counts. Critics said the deal goes further than Meta has before, but does not fix the platform’s deeper problems. The settlement still needs a judge’s approval.
A car passes Facebook's new Meta logo on a sign at the company headquarters on Oct. 28, 2021, in Menlo Park, Calif. AP-Yonhap
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kids under 18 will soon see a host of changes to their Instagram and Facebook experiences thanks to a historic $18 billion settlement Meta Platforms reached Wednesday with 48 U.S. states.
Besides the money, which will be paid out over a decade, Meta has agreed to strengthen its age estimates to keep kids under 13 off its platforms and teens in age-appropriate accounts, enact a hard limit of two hours a day for users under 18, block kids from the apps from midnight to 6 a.m., and hide “like” counts, among other changes.
While acknowledging the changes go further than Meta has ever gone when it comes to child safety, critics and children's advocates cautioned it will not solve its myriad problems overnight.
