Meta, the operator of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay 18 billion dollars (approximately 24.8 trillion Korean won) to resolve lawsuits filed by U.S. state governments alleging that the company induced social media addiction among teenagers. The company will also strengthen youth protection measures, including limiting daily SNS usage for teenagers to two hours.
Meta announced on the 26th (local time) that it had reached a settlement with 47 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories. The agreement stipulates that 70% of the total amount—12.7 billion dollars—will be paid in annual installments over 10 years. The remaining 30%, or 5.3 billion dollars, will be paid if other SNS platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Snap reach similar settlements.
Meta will restrict daily usage for users under 18 to a combined two hours on Facebook and Instagram. App access will be automatically blocked from midnight to 6 a.m., with restrictions lifted only upon parental approval. During school days, a "school mode" will be activated from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., disabling notifications except for direct messages.
The company also plans to modify its algorithm to reduce addictive content. Teen accounts will have the option to select a ‘non-personalized feed,’ which displays posts from followed accounts in chronological order without AI-driven recommendations.
The case originated from lawsuits filed by 29 states, which accused Meta of knowingly using infinite scroll, notifications, and recommendation algorithms to extend teen usage despite mental health risks. While Meta denied intentionally inducing addiction, it settled with state governments just a week after the trial began. The settlement aims to reduce astronomical compensation risks, potential additional lawsuits, and encourage competitors to adopt similar youth protection standards. C. J. Mahoney, Meta’s Chief Legal Officer (CLO), stated, “This sets the right direction for our industry” and urged competitors like TikTok and YouTube to “immediately implement this new system.”
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