Meta has reached an agreement with a broad group of state attorneys general in the United States to end the legal process regarding the alleged addictive design of its social platforms. Under this pact, the company commits to pay nearly 18 billion dollars (about 15.4 billion euros) and to implement new protective measures for minors by default that aim to become a reference for the entire sector.
The understanding, finalized this Wednesday with 52 attorneys general from different states, comes in the second week of the trial regarding the addictive dynamics of Facebook and Instagram. The procedure examines how features such as infinite scrolling of posts, the notification system, or content recommendation algorithms influence the well-being of adolescents.
According to the statement released, the pact includes the implementation of specific safety tools for users under 18 years old. Among them are strict controls on the connection time of adolescents that cannot be deactivated, automatic blocks during the night, and the silencing of notifications during school hours.
The economic agreement contemplates the payment of about 18 billion dollars, which will be disbursed in annual installments over a decade. Of the total, 70% —12.7 billion dollars (about 11 billion euros)— will be allocated directly to the signing states to finance programs and initiatives focused on the safety of young people.
The remaining 30% —about 5.3 billion dollars (4.55 billion euros)— is conditioned on the involvement of YouTube and TikTok in adopting protective measures that limit usage time among minors, as well as both platforms contributing an amount equivalent to that sum.
The agreed amount is well below the 1.4 trillion dollars (1.2 trillion euros) that, at the beginning of the litigation, the attorneys general were considering claiming from Meta and which the company described as "outrageous" and unprecedented. Despite the understanding, the agreement still needs to receive the approval of the judge in charge of the case.
In parallel, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced an out-of-court settlement valued at 16.7 billion dollars (millions of euros), which integrates into the figure announced by Meta another separate pact reached solely with the state of Texas.
"Our bipartisan investigation has reached a compelling conclusion: Meta has been harming our children and adolescents, fostering addiction to increase corporate profits. With today's lawsuit, we are drawing a line. We must protect our children and we will not back down in this fight. I thank my fellow state attorneys general for standing up for our children and holding Meta accountable," Bonta has stated.