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Why Meta's settlement could be an 'inflection point' for reining in Big Tech
Confirmed
He said the settlement should also serve as a warning to the broader technology industry. STATES ACCUSE META OF TARGETING CHILDREN FOR FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM ADDICTION: 'THE YOUNG ONES ARE THE BEST ONES' Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said companies that have not reached similar agreements could increasingly become the focus of litigation. (FOX Business ) GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE A Meta spokesperson referred FOX Business to comments from Chief Legal Officer C.J.
STATE SUES SNAPCHAT OVER ALLEGED ADDICTIVE FEATURES AND ADULT CONTENT FOR KIDS Meta said Wednesday the agreement builds on its existing efforts to protect teens and give parents greater control over their children’s use of its platforms. (Matt Cardy/ ) Skrmetti said companies that have not reached similar agreements could increasingly become the focus of litigation.
"If kids are still at risk, if some of these features aren't addressed in a way that meaningfully changes the danger of the platform for young users, the auditor will be in a position to make that public," Skrmetti said.
Meta announced Wednesday it had reached an agreement with 52 attorneys general across states, U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., to pay up to $18 billion and overhaul teen experiences on Facebook and Instagram. META SETTLES FEDERAL TRIAL OVER CLAIMS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM ADDICT CHILDREN "The most important thing is that all of the design decisions that made Instagram dangerous for kids are being addressed," Skrmetti said.
"I think you’re going to see the next domino fall very soon," Skrmetti said, arguing the agreement sets a precedent for holding social media, artificial intelligence and other child-facing platforms accountable. "As fewer and fewer participants in the industry have not entered a deal like this, they're going to be under incredible pressure because all of the litigation focus is going to be on them," Skrmetti said.
"If they're designing exploitive elements into the platform that take advantage of kids and the vulnerabilities of kids' brains, there will be consequences down the road for that," he said. "The goal is to eliminate all of the triggers for mental health problems that were baked into the platform as a result of the effort to make it so addictive," Skrmetti said.
FAQ - New Privacy Policy Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the agreement could set a new standard for protecting children across social media platforms. "I think it's kind of inspirational that you had people who have very different political opinions come together and work to do right by America's kids," Skrmetti said.
"Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta," the company said in a statement. Another $5.3 billion will be released only if TikTok and YouTube implement specified child-safety measures and make matching payments.
What's confirmed
- He said the settlement should also serve as a warning to the broader technology industry.
- STATE SUES SNAPCHAT OVER ALLEGED ADDICTIVE FEATURES AND ADULT CONTENT FOR KIDS Meta said Wednesday the agreement builds on its existing efforts to protect teens and give parents greater control over their children’s use
- "If kids are still at risk, if some of these features aren't addressed in a way that meaningfully changes the danger of the platform for young users, the auditor will be in a position to make that public," Skrmetti said.
- Meta announced Wednesday it had reached an agreement with 52 attorneys general across states, U.S.
- "I think you’re going to see the next domino fall very soon," Skrmetti said, arguing the agreement sets a precedent for holding social media, artificial intelligence and other child-facing platforms accountable.
- "If they're designing exploitive elements into the platform that take advantage of kids and the vulnerabilities of kids' brains, there will be consequences down the road for that," he said.
What's still developing
- FAQ - New Privacy Policy Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the agreement could set a new standard for protecting children across social media platforms.
- "I think you’re going to see the next domino fall very soon," Skrmetti said, arguing the agreement sets a precedent for holding social media, artificial intelligence and other child-facing platforms accountable.
- Meta announced Wednesday it had reached an agreement with 52 attorneys general across states, U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., to pay up to $18 billion and overhaul teen experiences on Facebook and Instagram .
- META SETTLES FEDERAL TRIAL OVER CLAIMS FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM ADDICT CHILDREN "The most important thing is that all of the design decisions that made Instagram dangerous for kids are being addressed," Skrmetti said.
- "The goal is to eliminate all of the triggers for mental health problems that were baked into the platform as a result of the effort to make it so addictive," Skrmetti said.
- Skrmetti said the changes to Meta’s platforms are ultimately more important than the financial penalty.
- "They agreed to some pretty sweeping changes, and that's way more important than the money ," he said.
- Meta said the payments will be distributed annually over 10 years, with participating states receiving approximately $12.7 billion.