In a landmark development, Meta reached a settlement on Wednesday with US states over claims it designed Facebook and Instagram to hook children.
Here are the main terms:
Meta will pay in 10 annual instalments totalling about $11.7 billion, with a further $5bn payable only if rival platforms sign comparable agreements — a maximum of $16.7bn.
Separately, the company would pay $75 million toward the states’ legal costs and $459m to settle older claims tied to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
States are expected to spend the money on youth mental health programmes, crisis lines, after-school activities and digital literacy, though final decisions rest with state legislatures.
