Meta’s $18 billion settlement to close US lawsuit: What changes for the company, teens, rivals and the world

Ashlee Difuntorum is an entertainment litigator who covers new media.

There could be no clearer proof that the money men reckon Meta dodged a bullet.

Türkiye is assessing whether further safeguards are needed after Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and introduce new limits on minors’ use of Facebook and Instagram under a settlement with U.S. state attorneys general.

For Elizabeth Cardner, a mother of two girls in Houston, Texas, Meta's new limits on how teenagers can use its platforms are a welcome sign that more people are aware of social media's potential dangers.