Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: In a bid to resolve a major multi-state US lawsuit reportedly filed in 2023 alleging that the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram caused harm to the teenagers, the American social media giant Meta has reportedly agreed to a settlement amounting $18 billion on August 26, while it has also reportedly demanded that its rival social media platforms TikTok and YouTube should also adopt the similar safeguards.
The allegations in the lawsuit reportedly claimed that, “Facebook and Instagram contribute to mental health issues like anxiety, depression and suicidal behaviour among the teenagers. Meta also improperly collected children’s personal information.”
As per international media reports, “The $18 billion money is to be distributed over the next 10 years, while the individuals won’t receive the direct payments. The $18 billion settlement funds must be used by the states for initiatives such as counselling and wellness programmes aimed at mitigating the harms on youth by social media use.”
International media reports have also highlighted that, “The settlement includes several restrictions to be imposed upon the teenagers using the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. The restrictions chiefly include ‘a two-hour daily usage limit’, ‘bed-time night mode i.e. blocking acess between midnight and 6 am’, ‘silencing notifications during school hours’, and ‘stronger age verification/detection systems’.”
International media reports have also underlined that, “If TikTok and YouTube do not adopt similar restrictins, Meta will only be responsible for paying approximately $12.7 billion of the settlement, while TikTok and YouTube must collectively pay $5.3 billion in their own settlements and agree to implement specified safety measures for the teenagers.”
