Meta agrees to major $17billion settlement and changes to Facebook and Instagram after trial over teen addiction

Meta has agreed to a $17.1billion (£12.6billion) settlement and new restrictions for teenage Facebook and Instagram users after a landmark US trial. California and 28 other states had brought the case against Meta, the technology company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, alleging that they had deliberately incorporated addictive features into its platforms. The suit also claimed that Meta had misled users about their safety and unlawfully collected data belonging to children under 13 without parental permission. The jury trial started in Oakland, California last week and had been expected to last for six weeks, but the landmark agreement was announced today (August 26). Under the terms of the settlement, Meta will pay at least $12.1billion (£8.9billion) over the next decade, while a further £5billion could be added if competitors such as TikTok and YouTube adopt similar safeguards and make related payments. Meta had denied the allegations in the lawsuit throughout the proceedings and the settlement does not include an admission of wrongdoing. The agreement also requires Meta to bring about a number of changes to Facebook and Instagram for accounts belonging to us...