Facebook-parent Meta reaches nearly $18 billion settlement over social media’s mental health impact on children

Facebook-parent company Meta has agreed to a multi-billion-dollar legal settlement worth nearly $18 billion, resolving claims brought by dozens of US states alleging that the tech firm engineered Facebook and Instagram to addict minors, misled the public regarding user safety and illegally harvested private data from underage users. The massive agreement concludes claims filed by a bipartisan group of 52 attorneys general across US states, territories and the District of Columbia, and brings an end to an Oakland, California federal trial that represented a critical legal test over the role tech platforms play in harming youth well-being. While agreeing to the financial terms and major platform overhauls, Meta maintained that it committed no wrongdoing.