Meta（Facebook和Instagram的母公司）同意支付高达180亿美元，与美国多州就未能保护儿童及导致社交媒体上瘾的指控达成和解。这是美国单一公司史上规模最大的法律和解案之一。此协议涵盖47个州、华盛顿特区及三个领地，加上与德州的独立和解，总金额远超先前其他重大和解案，加州检察长更称此举将迫使Meta在数月内对其平台进行大规模改革。
作为和解协议的一部分，Meta承诺为青少年用户设定预设的每日使用时间上限与夜间禁用时段，并强化年龄验证系统以防止儿童接触不当内容。此外，Meta还将为家长和监护人提供额外的管理工具。然而，Meta指出其中约53亿美元的支付条件，取决于竞争对手YouTube和TikTok是否也同意支付同等金额并实施类似的使用限制，强调需要整个行业共同解决此问题。
尽管和解金额庞大且Meta面临著外界对其产品刻意使人上瘾的广泛批评，该公司表示这不会对其财务造成重大打击，因其将分10年支付且青少年产生的广告收入有限。批评者认为，这种针对单一功能或公司的妥协无法根本改变科技巨头依赖成瘾机制的商业模式。随著全球多国酝酿更严格的年龄限制法规，这起案件反映了公众对社交媒体影响青少年心理健康的强烈担忧。
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle lawsuits with multiple US states over allegations of failing to protect children and fueling social media addiction. Representing one of the largest legal settlements by a single US company, the agreement covers 47 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories, plus a separate deal with Texas. The California attorney general stated this massive payout will force significant transformations to Meta's platforms within months.
As part of the settlement, Meta has committed to implementing default daily usage limits and night-time blocks for teenage users, alongside strengthening its age-verification systems to shield children from inappropriate content. The company will also provide parents and guardians with additional management tools. However, Meta specified that about $5.3 billion of the payout is contingent upon competitors YouTube and TikTok agreeing to pay the same amount and adopting similar restrictions, emphasizing the need for an industry-wide solution.
Despite the massive settlement and widespread criticism regarding its deliberately addictive products, Meta expects no significant financial impact since payments will be spread over 10 years and teen-generated advertising revenue is limited. Critics argue that such piecemeal legal victories fail to address the underlying business models driving Big Tech. With governments worldwide considering stricter age regulations, this landmark case highlights intense public concern over how social media affects the mental health of young users.