Meta Settles With 51 Attorneys General Over Minor Safety

A bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general reached a proposed settlement with Meta Platforms Inc. to impose strict usage restrictions on Facebook and Instagram for users under 18. The agreement mandates a two-hour default daily limit for minor accounts and blocks platform access between midnight and 6 a.m.

As part of the settlement, Meta will remove cosmetic surgery filters and hide like counts for minors. An independent auditor will be appointed to verify the company's compliance with these new rules. The legal action follows long-standing criticism of the tech industry's reliance on self-regulation, noting that Meta executives and early investors often enforced stricter screen-time limits for their own children than those available to the general public.

This settlement occurs during a period of heightened public distrust toward Big Tech and artificial intelligence. Some industry leaders, including Bill Gates, have advocated for external regulation of AI to mitigate potential dangers, arguing against the efficacy of industry self-regulation.