Meta settles its alleged social media harm case for $18B and agrees to massive changes that may be almost impossible to enforce

Remember that massive lawsuit against Meta alleging that its products were designed to addict teens and may have caused them mental harm? Backed by dozens of US States, the potential $1.4 trillion price tag — if Meta lost — would have been enough to bankrupt the company.

That case is now over. Settled for the princely sum of $18 billion and promised fundamental changes in how Meta's major products, namely Instagram and Facebook, operate when used by anyone under 18. I'll get to the proposed changes below (which Meta would like to see YouTube and TikTok adopt, too), but first let's talk about the stunning turn of events.

We were in week two of the big trial, and honestly, we were just getting to the good part. After the states initially presented their case and made it clear they believed Meta knew its products might be harming teens and wasn't doing anything about it, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri took the stand and was peppered with questions about the platform's current controls, like its prompts imploring teens to "take a break." The focus was so intense that the normally polished Mosseri appeared "annoyed." He also admitted that there are "no silver bullets" for safety.

On Wednesday (August 26), we were, it appeared, only hours away from the big show: Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg taking the stand. I expected the prosecution to press him hard to see if they could trigger a slip-up or some reaction from the normally unflappable Zuckerberg.

Now, that moment will never come. Without admitting any wrongdoing or fault, Meta has closed the potentially business-killing or at least hobbling case.

Here's a look, though, at what Meta has agreed to in the settlement [PDF]. On the surface, it will sound like a lot. In fact, the changes are so sweeping that some on social media wondered if they could or should be applied to everyone on the platform.

Time limits (2 hours)

Mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of scrolling

Overnight usage blocks

No nighttime notifications

No use during school hours

No visible likes

No cosmetic filters

No algorithmically organized feed (if they choose)

Age verification

Better harmful content reporting

Better parental controls

There are caveats: the two-hour time limit applies across Instagram and Facebook, though how much time does a kid under 18 spend on Facebook?

Likes removal includes any information that could lead to social comparison — essentially a FOMO filter.

Some of the changes, like age verification, parental controls, and content safeguards, represent strengthening and broadening of existing controls.

Meta has rolled out a whole suite of parental controls, especially on Instagram, in the last two years, but as Mosseri noted, not everything is working.

When I posted the above list on social media, one savvy reader made a salient point.

On Bluesky, Paul Dempsey posted:

Sadly, that needs at least these assumptions to hold:

1. Meta will apply tough-enough processes to stop kids hacking these restrictions.

2. Parents will be able to tell when their children have hacked the barriers.

3. States will have enough resources to police the new format.

I'm thinking 0/3.

A steep climb and long odds

He's right, of course. Meta's tools for blocking wily teens have not necessarily borne fruit. If anything, teens are turning away from social media of their own accord, but that doesn't mean millions aren't still on it and are often subjected to unhealthy content and social feedback.

Meta's decision to use AI to detect teen-like behavior and then automatically shift these accounts into the current teen account restrictions has worked for some, but how well does the AI really understand today's teens, and all the ways they can model adult behavior to get around the restrictions?

With this settlement, Meta will be cooking up stricter rules that may include some form of ID not just for the addition of teen accounts but some proof that people are who they say they are and that they're the parents of these newly onboarded teens.

Platform anonymity could take a hit or die altogether.

But as Dempsey noted, it's unclear if Meta can come up with enough ways to block resourceful teens.

His second question is also valid. So many parents are out of the loop when it comes to their children's and teens' online activities. Parents may be on Facebook but are less likely to casually swim in Reels and TikTok waters. Teens' comfort level with these systems far outstrips their parents'. I often wonder who will be leading whom as young people and their parents try to navigate these new restrictions.

Dempsey's last point is probably the ringer. I applaud all the states for joining together to pursue this one case. It's an amazing level of cooperation. Still, when it comes to laws and penalties, I'd be shocked if we saw even a whiff of consistency. That means the rules for policing, detecting, enforcing, and prosecuting those who skirt them will differ in every state. Worse yet, none will have the infrastructure or resources to keep track.

Sure, the rules across Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms that join will be consistent, but the tactics for circumventing them will be varied and no one — not the parents nor the states that originally brought the case — will know, that is until a teen reports harm or parents notice that their children are somehow engaging on social media with adults (or worse).

For Meta, these changes will alter their products, but I don't think that'll materially harm it or its business. It's a lot of money, but a manageable sum (the cost of one acquisition). For parents and teens, they will all struggle with the platform changes until their teens figure out workarounds, and parents again wonder why it's gotten so quiet in their kids' bedrooms.

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