Massachusetts Attorney General Secures Landmark Settlement with Meta for Youth Protections
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has announced a landmark settlement with Meta, mandating significant changes to how Instagram and Facebook operate for young users. This agreement stems from allegations that Meta designed its platforms to be harmful and addictive to youth, prioritizing profits over well-being. Key provisions of the settlement include an age-assurance framework to identify users under 13, who will not be permitted on the platforms. Users aged 13-18 will receive default protections such as a two-hour daily limit, breaks to interrupt scrolling, restricted overnight access, silenced notifications during school hours, blocked 'like' counts and beauty filters, and enhanced safeguards against contact from unknown adults. These protections will be default settings, not requiring parental navigation.
