Meta settles US child safety lawsuits, India protections unclear
Meta has agreed to pay approximately $18 billion to settle lawsuits alleging harm to minors on Facebook and Instagram. The settlement mandates product changes for child safety in the US, raising questions about similar protections in India.
Meta has reached an agreement to pay approximately $18 billion in the US to resolve lawsuits that claimed Facebook and Instagram harmed minors. Beyond the financial settlement, Meta is also required to implement changes to ensure online safety for children in the US.
The landmark settlement includes a commitment to introduce a two-hour daily time limit on Facebook and Instagram for users under 18, with access restricted between midnight and 6 AM. The social media giant will also tweak notifications during school hours, restrict certain makeup filters, hide like counts, and offer a non-algorithmic feed option.
While India is Meta's largest market by cumulative users, the settlement lacks extraterritorial commitments. This means Meta is under no legal obligation to deploy these safety defaults in international markets like India. However, cybersecurity experts argue there is no justification for denying identical safety baselines to minor accounts outside the US.
Legal and policy experts suggest that safeguards provided to American teens should extend to Indian children, advocating for age-appropriate defaults and stronger age assurance. The US settlement now offers Indian policymakers a potential blueprint to mandate similar protections for minors on Meta's products.