How teen accounts on Instagram and Facebook are changing after Meta's $18B US settlement
Meta has agreed to an $18 billion settlement with U.S. states to address claims that its platforms harm youth mental health and privacy. The settlement mandates stricter controls for teen accounts, which analysts expect will eventually influence global social media standards.
Why it matters
This represents a significant regulatory shift in how social media companies are held accountable for the design and impact of their platforms on minors.
Parent company Meta agreed this week to make platform design changes for young users and pay up to $18 billion US over the next decade to resolve claims of online harms to youth stemming from nearly every U.S. state and territory.
A coalition of U.S. attorneys general have described it as the largest state consumer protection settlement in history outside of the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
"The writing is on the wall for the social media industry. This is their tobacco moment," said Canadian tech analyst Carmi Levy.
"Things change for Meta and other companies like it from this point forward."
New measures are coming for the Instagram and Facebook accounts of users under 18, including:
Meta says it will continue existing work blocking strangers from contacting teen accounts and improve reporting tools and parental controls.
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