Meta has settled a lawsuit brought by 29 US states, agreeing to pay $18bn and implement changes to its platform features in the US. The states had argued that Meta designed addictive products that hooked young people. As part of the settlement, Meta will set time limits on children's use of its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, and block night-time usage.
While the US settlement is seen as a victory by California's attorney general, other legal claims against Meta are still pending globally. These include a lawsuit in Kenya filed by Abrham Meareg, who alleges Facebook's algorithm promoted posts calling for his father's murder in 2021. Meareg's case, supported by the nonprofit Foxglove, could be heard in the next year after the Kenyan high court ruled it could proceed.
In the Netherlands, Repro Uncensored has an ongoing legal case against Meta concerning alleged discrimination against queer accounts and plans further action in other European countries. The European Commission also launched an investigation into Meta in 2024, releasing a charge sheet this summer that stated the company's features, such as infinite scroll, contributed to "unhealthy habits and compulsive use."