On August 26, Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to resolve child-harm claims brought by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general across the United States, its territories and the District of Columbia. It is one of the largest consumer-protection settlements in internet history. More importantly, it marks a turning point in the debate over whether social-media platforms knowingly exposed children to harm in pursuit of growth and profit.

The case placed Meta’s design choices under legal scrutiny: How its products encouraged prolonged use, how teen safety-features were presented to the public, and how the company understood the risks its platforms created for young users. Meta denies wrongdoing. But the settlement demonstrates that voluntary self-regulation is no substitute for enforceable accountability.

Under the proposed settlement, Meta must adopt stronger safeguards for users under 18, including default time limits, restrictions on nighttime use, limits on notifications during school hours, enhanced age-assurance measures and independent compliance oversight. These are not cosmetic changes. They go to the core of how Facebook and Instagram are allowed to operate for minors.

If American children now receive court-backed protection from harmful platform design, why should Indian children not receive the same assurance of safety?

This settlement does not mean that Meta has solved the problem. A company that generated $201 billion in revenue in 2025 can absorb $17 billion paid over 10 years. That Meta stock was up 5........

© Indian Express