Meta's settlement will make others change for teenagers

Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, has agreed to make important changes to how teenagers use its social media. This is a big step for Meta and could change how other social media companies work in the future.

Meta will make big changes to Instagram and Facebook. This is part of an agreement to end a lawsuit. Many US states said Meta’s products were making children addicted and causing harm. Meta will also pay up to $18bn over ten years to the states involved in the case.

These changes might help teenagers change their habits and reduce the bad effects of social media. The attorneys general, who represent the states, made Meta change its company rules, something the US Congress has not done.

Meta has promised to change how its social networks work for everyone. This is a big agreement because it's the first time Meta has been forced to change important parts of how people use its social networks every day in the US.

Meta will create safety rules for teen users. The company must check how old users are. There will be a limit of two hours of use each day. Using social media at night will be stopped, and notifications will be off during school hours. Likes will not be shown.

These new safety features will be used automatically. This is a significant change from before, when users had to choose to use these safety options. The agreement uses the word 'default' many times when talking about these changes.

The amount of money is the largest ever paid by a tech company in the US. However, it is not expected to cause big problems for Meta's business. The states had originally thought the damages could be $200bn. Meta's own spending on things like AI is much larger than this settlement amount.

The states were more interested in changing how Meta's platforms work than in getting money. One attorney general called the settlement a 'down payment' on protecting children and a 'watershed moment'.

Meta's legal chief said the company was 'pleased' to announce the agreement. The changes add to other safety features Meta has already added for young people.

Meta is presenting these changes as a plan for other social media companies to follow. It is asking other companies like TikTok and YouTube to use the same rules. Meta believes that because teens use many different apps, a solution for the whole industry is needed.