Meta, the owner of the Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp platforms, reached an agreement to pay approximately US$ 16.68 billion (equivalent to R$ 86.7 billion) to various American states. This agreement ends a lawsuit alleging that the company encouraged excessive use of social media by adolescents.
In addition to the payment, the company will be required to introduce new guidelines aimed at those under 18. These measures include imposing daily usage limits, nighttime blocks, and providing an option for a non-personalized feed.
According to Reuters, this arrangement resolves complaints filed by 29 U.S. states and concludes a federal trial that became a central point in accusations of harm caused by social media to young users.
Before the trial, the states had not specified an exact amount, but during a hearing, they indicated that the sum would be closer to US$ 200 billion (about R$ 1.03 trillion). They also sought extra compensation and platform changes, such as systems to prevent children from creating accounts.
Among the rules established in the agreement, it is stipulated that Meta must continue, review, and improve existing content protections for adolescents. Additionally, it will need to implement mechanisms capable of identifying and removing children under 13 from its platforms.
The company is accused of intentionally designing its services with features that create dependency in children and adolescents, which contributes to a mental health crisis. However, Meta has refuted any claims of wrongdoing.
The agreement also covers lawsuits filed by the states of California, Illinois, New Mexico, and Washington, D.C., which are linked to privacy violation allegations stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where a consultancy collected personal data from millions of Facebook users.
These four states will receive US$ 459.3 million (approximately R$ 2.4 billion) to settle these actions. Prior to the trial, Meta had stated that the states were seeking fines of up to US$ 1.4 trillion (about R$ 7.2 trillion).
Although the case has been concluded, Meta still faces other demands in state and federal courts in the U.S., as reported by Reuters. Thus, the agreement only resolves one aspect of the dispute, as other accusations against the company remain ongoing.