Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab, agreed to make major changes to Facebook and Instagram and pay up to $18 billion to resolve claims by most U.S. states that it designed those platforms to addict children and misled consumers about their safety.
The settlements announced on ​Wednesday end a federal trial that had been one of the highest-profile tests of allegations that social media companies harm children.
While Meta will not undergo a fundamental overhaul, the ‌accords represent a sweeping effort to define how it serves young users.
“The focus of this case was to protect our kids,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “The relief we are getting in this settlement is very meaningful and well beyond what any court has ordered or is likely to order.”
Meta agreed for the next decade to restrict teenagers’ use of Facebook and Instagram to two hours a day and block all usage from midnight to 6 a.m., absent parental ​consent.