Latest / GNN Daily Breaking News / What Meta Agreed to in US Teen Safety Settlement

Transcript

What Meta Agreed to in US Teen Safety Settlement · GNN Daily Breaking News

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: agreed to sweeping changes in how its platforms handle teen users,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: alongside a massive financial settlement in what officials are calling
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: a landmark case for online safety. The deal, worth up
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: to $ 18 billion, resolves lawsuits brought by dozens of U.S.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: states alleging that Meta knowingly designed addictive features that harmed
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: children's mental health. At the heart of the settlement are
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: new safety rules that will reshape the way teens interact
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: with Meta's platforms. Among the most significant changes are daily
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: usage limits, with a default cap of about two hours
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: per day across both Facebook and Instagram. Teens will also
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: face nighttime restrictions, blocking access to feeds, reels, and stories
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: between midnight and 6 a.m. notifications will be muted during
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: school hours to reduce classroom distractions. Meta has also agreed
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: to strengthen parental controls, giving guardians the ability to enforce
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: non-personalized feeds, disable autoplay, and hide reaction counts. Cosmetic surgery
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: filters and other potentially harmful features will be restricted for
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: teen accounts. In addition, the company will roll out enhanced
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: age verification systems to prevent Under 1.3 users from bypassing
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: restrictions by entering false birthdates. Financially, the settlement is unprecedented.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Roughly $ 12. 7 billion is guaranteed, with the remainder contingent on
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: whether rival platforms like TikTok and YouTube adopt similar protections.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Funds will be directed toward mental health services, school counseling programs,
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: and research into the long-term effects of social media on youth.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Families who filed claims will also receive compensation. Meta has
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: not admitted wrongdoing, but said the agreement allows it to
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: move forward while continuing to invest in safety tools. Executives
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: point to recent initiatives such as parental dashboards and wellness
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: prompts as evidence of progress, though critics argue the company
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: acted only under legal pressure. Legal experts say the case
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: sets a new precedent, tying corporate liability directly to adolescent
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: mental health outcomes. If similar lawsuits succeed against other platforms,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: the financial and operational impact could reshape the entire social
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: media industry. For parents, schools, and policymakers, the settlement represents
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: both accountability and a roadmap for reform. It signals that
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: the era of unchecked growth in tech is giving way
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: to an era of responsibility, where platforms must balance engagement
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: with the well-being of their youngest users.