Meta agreed to settle claims brought by 29 state attorneys general that it intentionally designed addictive platforms that harmed young people’s mental health, according to a court filing Wednesday. The settlement amount is reported at $16.68 billion, with some sources citing up to $18 billion. The filing confirms the agreement but does not disclose the full terms.
According to a court filing on Wednesday, Meta Platforms has settled with 29 state attorneys general in the United States, who alleged that Facebook and Instagram were intentionally designed to addict minors and unlawfully collected their data. The settlement amount is reported at $16.68 billion, with some media reports citing a broader figure of up to $18 billion that includes additional claims. The court filing acknowledges the agreement but does not disclose the full settlement terms; the specific figures come from media reports and earlier statements by the parties. As The Zioneer reported earlier today, Calcalist estimated the broad settlement at up to $18 billion, and the N12 report from Wednesday cited the $16.68 billion figure. This settlement resolves multistate litigation alleging that Meta’s platforms caused psychological harm and violated the privacy of young users. The agreement represents the largest multistate settlement over youth addiction allegations against a technology company.
3 developments
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Source and signal
- Open-source intake
