- Economy Economy Economy
- Social Media Social Media Social Media
Threatened with a $200 billion fine for deliberately making minors addicted to its social media platforms, Mark Zuckerberg's company agreed to restrict teenagers' access to its services and pay up to $18 billion to settle the claims, the equivalent of one month's revenue for the company.
Lire en françaisSubscribers only
No more than seven days went by between the opening of the high-profile trial over the protection of teenagers, which Meta appeared in court for, and its closure by way of a settlement. On Wednesday, August 26, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook announced it had signed an agreement with 48 US states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa. Meta has agreed to pay $18 billion in compensation, under certain conditions, along with a series of measures limiting features for minors on these platforms in the United States.
The amount corresponds to roughly one month of Meta's annual revenue. The company has avoided the continuation of the trial and, as a result, the release of more documents or testimony from former employees, as well as the potentially embarrassing appearance of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, before the court in Oakland.
Meta had been accused by a coalition of state attorneys general of misleading consumers about the handling of minors' accounts on its platforms, considered addictive, and of allowing children under 13 to register, which is illegal in the United States. On Wednesday, California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, welcomed the settlement, which, he said, makes social media "less dangerous for our kids." He also praised the "massive transformations" Meta had agreed to for the protection of young users.
You have 72.95% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
