Meta agrees to pay $18 billion to settle US lawsuits over children's social media addiction

posted by Kristi Wachter on September 16, 2026

Resistance is

Meta Platforms will strictly limit how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram under an agreement with nearly all U.S. states to resolve claims it designed those social media platforms to addict children.

Reuters Diana Jones August 26, 2026

Excerpt:

Social media companies still face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts by individuals, school districts, municipalities and other government entities claiming they knowingly sought to addict children and caused a mental health crisis including harms such as anxiety, depression and suicide. Gonzalez Rogers oversees many of these cases.

The Meta trial included claims by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New ⁠Jersey that the company's conduct violated state consumer protection laws.

It also included claims by 29 states that Meta violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by knowingly collecting personal data from children without parental consent, and using the data to train generative AI.

Read the whole thing:

Meta agrees to pay $18 billion to settle US lawsuits over children's social media addiction

Via:

Extra! Extra! 8/30/26

posted by Kristi Wachter on September 16, 2026

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