Meta Platforms will pay nearly $18 billion to resolve lawsuits filed by nearly all US states, accusing the company of deliberately designing Instagram and Facebook to addict children and teenagers. The settlement involves payments of $16.68 billion to $17.1 billion to 47 states, Washington D.C., and US territories, while Texas negotiated a separate agreement worth approximately $1 billion. Meta must also implement default restrictions for users aged 13 to 17, including a two-hour daily usage cap and a nightly blackout from midnight to 6 a.m. Approximately 70% of the funds will go toward state youth online safety initiatives over the next decade. Meta did not admit wrongdoing.
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