Meta will impose daily limits on child Instagram users and pay $17bn

TL;DR

Meta will pay almost $17 billion to settle a lawsuit claiming Instagram and Facebook harmed young users.
The settlement resolves claims that Meta deliberately designed its platforms to hook children and misled users about minor safety.
Meta will impose daily usage limits of two hours for users under 18 and a nighttime block from midnight to 6 am.
The settlement includes restrictions on notifications during school and night hours, and a ban on showing 'likes' counts for minors.
A ban on cosmetic surgery image filters for young users is also part of the agreement.
Meta will hire an independent auditor to ensure it ceases making deceptive statements about safety features.
The settlement payment will be distributed to the states over the next ten years.
The total settlement amount includes a portion that depends on rivals like Google's YouTube and TikTok implementing similar app changes.
Key testimony came from former Meta staffers who raised concerns about content pushed to young users.
Instagram's head admitted that the 'Take a Break' feature was not widely adopted when first introduced.
Meta is the first social media company to settle, with investigations ongoing for Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.

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