In late August 2026, Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) settled a lawsuit brought by 47 states, claiming that Meta had broken child privacy and consumer protection laws. The company agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and make significant changes to how their platforms work with minors; more restrictions and greater financial penalties would apply if other social media companies comply with these standards (Kang & Tan, 2026). The suits argued that Meta's platform practices knowingly attracted young users, made it difficult for them to stop using the platform, and pushed harmful content and experiences towards them.
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David P. Lichtenstein (2026) studied this question.
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