What’s in Meta’s Teen Social Media Settlement—and What Hinges on Its Rivals

Last Tuesday, Meta lawyers entered a courtroom in Oakland, California to face a judge and jury over alleged harms to children in a bellwether trial brought by state attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey. The trial was expected to last through October.

But on Wednesday, less than ten days after the trial began, Meta reached a landmark settlement with 52 attorneys general from US states, territories, and the District of Columbia, agreeing to pay up to $17.1 billion while also making changes to its platforms for teen users, including restrictions on late-night access and limits on daily time spent on its apps.