Meta agrees $17bn child safety settlement, accepts age verification rules

Meta has agreed to pay up to $17 billion and adopt stricter child safety measures in a settlement with a bipartisan group of 52 US attorneys general, reached midway through a California trial.

According to the BBC, the company will introduce default daily time limits for teens, nighttime use blocks lifted only by parents, enhanced parental supervision tools, and age assurance measures to detect users under 18 and under 13.

An independent auditor will oversee compliance, and Meta faces an injunction barring further misleading safety claims. Meta denied wrongdoing.