As the trial against Meta—the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—over allegedly addictive product designs for children concluded with an $18 billion settlement, many American parents voiced their frustration. They argue that Meta's agreement to settle prevented them from seeing critical evidence about the company's knowledge of security flaws on its platforms and its failure to address them.
The lawsuit, initiated by 29 U.S. states, accused Meta of designing faulty products that led to children becoming addicted, facing online bullying, extortion, and abuse. Plaintiffs had sought up to $200 billion in penalties and changes to Meta's products and business practices.
On August 26, Meta agreed to pay $18 billion and pledged to enhance protections for young users. However, many parents present at the federal court in Oakland, California, believe the settlement does not adequately address the core issues.
The Pain of Parents Who Lost Children
Erin Popolo, mother of Emily—a 17-year-old who took her own life after being cyberbullied by classmates on Facebook and Instagram—questioned, "What evidence do they not want the public to see?" Mary Rodee, whose 15-year-old son died by suicide after being sexually extorted online, said she felt "disenfranchised" by not being able to view Meta's internal documents.
"Our children need to be protected from their algorithms and advertisements," Rodee said, criticizing that the settlement does not restrict ads targeting minors or make the algorithms public.
Lori Schott, from Colorado, lost her 18-year-old daughter to suicide after she received repeated messages that made her feel she wasn't pretty enough. Schott urged Instagram to adopt stronger measures to protect teenagers, such as limiting infinite scrolling, disabling autoplay, reducing constant notifications, and controlling algorithm-driven feeds.
Deb Schmill, who lost her daughter Becca to fentanyl purchased online after being abused and cyberbullied, argued that social media has "given bullies a tool and amplified the level of bullying." She also cited research indicating that over 95% of drug-selling accounts reported to Instagram were not removed.
Settlement Details and Meta's Response
The settlement includes Meta setting a two-hour daily usage limit for users under 18, as well as blocking use during nighttime and school hours. Earlier, during an August 25 hearing, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri admitted that only 1-2% of minors used the break reminder feature introduced in 2024.
Following the settlement, Meta stated that teenagers move fluidly among dozens of apps each day and called on other platforms to adopt similar measures. However, parents like Amy Neville, who lost her 14-year-old son to fentanyl purchased on Snapchat, said they are still pursuing lawsuits against other platforms.
Matthew Bergman, founding attorney of the Seattle-based Social Media Victims Law Center, praised the parents' determination: "In 30 years of practice, I've never met clients more committed to justice."
Despite the settlement being considered historic, many parents have vowed to continue the fight. Popolo said she will keep pushing for federal legislation to protect children online: "This fight is far from over."
