- Customs detect bid to import 4 luxury cars as used parts |
- Nearly 1,000 missing in Tibet, Nepal in catastrophic glacial floods |
- Glacial collapse-induced floods kill at least 160 people on Nepal-China border |
- At Least 160 Killed in Nepal-China Border Flash Floods |
- 7 fake CID members held in Magura kidnapping attempt |
Meta settles major US child-safety lawsuits for up to $18b
A settlement announced Wednesday between Meta and dozens of US states has ended one of the company’s biggest legal battles, but the Facebook and Instagram owner still faces lawsuits over the impact of social media on children’s mental health.
The deal ended a federal trial in Oakland, California, where Meta was accused of designing addictive features. Meta will pay up to $18 billion and introduce stronger child-safety measures. It also resolves a separate Tennessee case.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 48 states suing Meta. The remaining 25 states had planned trials, which are also halted by the settlement.
New Mexico, which was not part of the deal, won a case alleging Meta harmed children and concealed child sexual exploitation. A jury found thousands of violations, leading to a $375 million penalty. A judge later ordered another $567 million and imposed measures including a 90-hour monthly limit for under-18 users, AI chatbot restrictions and warnings. Florida also stayed out, saying the settlement was insufficient.
Hundreds of US school districts have sued Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube. One Kentucky case, selected as a test case among 1,200 lawsuits, was settled before trial.
A Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million to a young plaintiff and found Meta and YouTube liable. Both appealed; TikTok and Snapchat settled earlier.
Thousands of individual cases also allege addiction, mental-health harm, suicide and overdose deaths linked to social media, reports UNB.