Meta agrees to settlement, platform changes in youth addiction case

Meta settles $16.68bn lawsuit over child addiction claims, agreeing to major changes in Facebook and Instagram features.Meta Platforms has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of designing Facebook and Instagram in a way that addicted children, misled consumers about safety and collected personal data of children on the platform.On Wednesday, the social media giant agreed to pay a maximum of $16.68bn as part of a settlement to resolve claims brought in the United States case, championed by a coalition of 29 US states. The case, which started on August 18, was expected to last six weeks.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iran, Oman agree on new temporary route in Hormuzlist 2 of 4Trump threatens Iran’s partners: How do secondary sanctions work?list 3 of 4Ukrainian air attacks kill three in Russia as Kyiv steps up drone campaignlist 4 of 4One US dollar now costs 2 million rials in Iran, and here’s what it can buyend of listWhile 29 states brought the suit, 52 different attorneys general from both states and US territories signed on to the agreement.US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers agreed to suspend the trial and is “inclined” to approve it but needs time to review it.Meta has also agreed to make changes to Facebook and Instagram nationwide as part of the settlement.“Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months. We are talking about time limits, stopping notifications during school, a block on the app during critical overnight hours, bans on plastic surgery filters, and so much more,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.Among these are daily usage limits of two hours for those under the age of 18, which can only be removed by a parent, and nighttime blocks, among other features. Bonta said time restrictions will drop to one hour if other social media giants agree to similar terms. Meta echoed those calls.