Meta to improve age checks for young users under $18B US states settlement

Key facts

• Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement with U.S. states to improve age verification on its platforms.
• The settlement requires Meta to set daily usage limits and disable nighttime push notifications for users under 18.
• Stricter age checks will be implemented for children under 13, including analyzing friend networks.
• Meta can use AI to detect under-13 users based on data from identified children.
• The agreement seeks to balance age verification with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Meta has agreed to an $18 billion settlement with U.S. states to enhance age verification measures on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, as part of an effort to curb children's use of social media. The company has historically relied on contextual clues rather than strict verification methods like photo IDs to identify younger users.

The settlement mandates Meta to implement daily usage limits and disable nighttime push notifications for users under 18. It also requires stronger age checks for children under 13, involving analysis of their friend networks and making it easier for users to report suspected child accounts. Meta will be permitted to use data from identified children to train AI models for future detection of under-13 users.

These changes aim to improve age assurances while navigating the complexities of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a 1998 federal law that restricts companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. Meta and other social media companies have argued that COPPA hinders their ability to implement strict age verification. A New Mexico court previously ordered similar age assurance improvements within COPPA's limitations.

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a policy statement indicating it would not take action against companies collecting personal information solely for age-verification purposes, though legal experts note this offers only partial protection as states can still enforce COPPA violations.