Meta faces $17B fine and platform overhaul

Meta has agreed to a $17 billion settlement with 47 states to resolve a landmark lawsuit over its role in contributing to teen social media addiction and harming youth mental health. The settlement requires Facebook and Instagram to implement new safety measures, including daily time caps, stronger age verification, parental controls, and restrictions on harmful content, ending the trial without Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony. The deal addresses allegations that Meta deliberately designed addictive features and collected data on children under 13 without parental consent.