Aug 26 : Meta Platforms reached a settlement to resolve claims brought by states across the country that the company designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children, misled consumers about their safety, and improperly collected personal data of children who used its platforms, court papers show.The deal wa

Aug 26 : Meta Platforms reached a settlement to resolve claims brought by states across the country that the company designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children, misled consumers about their safety, and improperly collected personal data of children who used its platforms, court papers show.The deal wa

Meta has settled with dozens of US states over claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed children. The deal ends a landmark trial but leaves broader legal pressure on social media companies intact.

A settlement announced Wednesday between Meta and dozens of states resolves one of its biggest legal fights, but the social media giant is still facing litigation elsewhere over its products’ effects on young people’s mental health.

OAKLAND, CA - Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, on Wednesday agreed to settle a wide-ranging social media addiction lawsuit with the state of California and a number of other states. “The agreement includes a payment of approximately $18 billion, which can be used to fund youth online safety initiatives, among other state priorities,” Meta said in a statement. The court filing says that the company “denies the allegations against it and that it has any liability to the Plaintiffs,” which are a collection of 29 states. As part of the deal, “Meta commits to establishing daily limits and blocks on nighttime use for teenage users” as well as “enhanced age assurance measures to prevent children from accessing the platform, or age restricted content available on the platform,” the court filing also says. Under the settlement, teen accounts would default to a setting that limits cumulative use across both Facebook and Instagram to two hours per day. The company said teens would need a parent’s permission…