2026年8月26日 / 美国东部时间上午11:42 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
根据一份法庭文件，拥有Facebook和Instagram的Meta平台于周三达成了一项具有里程碑意义的社交媒体成瘾诉讼和解协议，该诉讼由数十个州提起。
Meta同意向起诉的各州支付最高170亿美元，并在其平台上增设儿童安全措施。该和解协议解决了47个州提出的诉讼请求，并提前终止了上周在加利福尼亚州奥克兰启动的庭审。
加利福尼亚州、科罗拉多州、肯塔基州和新泽西州是2023年首批对Meta提起诉讼的29个州之一，这些州指控这家科技巨头利用其社交媒体平台“引诱、吸引并最终诱捕”年轻互联网用户。各州指控Meta故意将其平台设计得令人上瘾，并就相关风险误导用户和公众。
各州还指控Meta违反了《儿童在线隐私保护法》（COPPA），收集并使用13岁以下居民的个人数据。Meta否认了这些指控。
在周三的一份声明中，Meta称该和解协议是重要的一步，并鼓励其他社交媒体企业实施保护青少年的安全措施。
“我们刚刚宣布与美国各州、领地和哥伦比亚特区的52位两党总检察长达成协议，确立新的行业标准，这建立在我们长期以来赋予家长权力、支持青少年的努力之上，”Meta的一位发言人在一封电子邮件中说道。“虽然这是重要的一步，但只有我们的同行——TikTok和YouTube——也采取同样的措施，这些保护措施才能真正发挥作用。”
这笔170亿美元的和解协议仍需获得法庭批准，仅相当于Meta2025年2010亿美元营收的一小部分。
新的保护措施能否发挥作用？
根据和解协议，Meta将实施新的儿童安全措施，包括为青少年设定每日两小时的使用时长限制；禁止未成年人在夜间访问Facebook和Instagram；以及在上学时间关闭推送通知。
Meta还将做出改革，更好地验证18岁以下用户的年龄，并实施更强大、更易用的家长控制功能，同时限制“点赞数”这类社会比较功能。
Meta总部所在地加利福尼亚州总检察长罗布·邦塔表示，该和解协议将迫使该公司彻底改革其社交媒体平台的设计和运营方式。
“Meta已同意进行大规模改革，以降低其平台带来的伤害风险——并将在数月内完成，”他在一份声明中说道。“我们谈论的是使用时长限制、上学时间停止通知、关键夜间时段禁用应用程序、禁止整容滤镜等等。”
近年来，随着科技公司面临越来越多关于社交媒体影响的压力，Meta已经为Instagram增加了多项安全功能，包括为青少年推出带有更强消息和隐私保护的独立账户，以及内容限制措施。
但一些儿童安全专家和前Meta员工认为，此类功能在很大程度上无效。
Meta前工程总监阿图罗·贝哈尔在上周的庭审作证中表示，该公司设计社交媒体平台的目的是让用户持续参与，即使这会损害他们的心理健康。
“如果你不再使用这款产品，他们就赚不到钱，”他说道。
根据纽约州总检察长莉蒂夏·詹姆斯的说法，这笔财务和解金将帮助各州为年轻人提供心理健康服务，并向公众普及社交媒体的潜在危害。
“通过为我们的社区提供大量新资源，并对Meta面向年轻人的平台实施全面限制，我们朝着打破社交媒体成瘾的循环迈出了重要一步，”她在一份声明中说道。
Alain Sherter 编辑
美联社为本报道提供了支持。
Meta settles social media addiction suit with states for up to $17 billion
August 26, 2026 / 11:42 AM EDT / CBS News
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, settled a landmark social media addiction lawsuit on Wednesday brought by dozens of states, according to a court filing.
Meta agreed to pay up to $17 billion to the states that sued and add child-safety measures to its platforms. The settlement resolves claims filed by 47 states and cuts short a trial that kicked off last week in Oakland, California.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among the 29 states that first filed suit against Meta in 2023, alleging that the technology giant used its social media platforms to “entice, engage and ultimately ensnare” young internet users. States accused Meta of deliberately designing its platforms to be addictive and of misleading users and the public about the risks.
Meta also violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting and using the personal data of residents under 13, the states alleged. Meta denied the claims.
In a statement on Wednesday, Meta called the settlement an important step and encouraged other social media players to implement safety measures to protect youth.
“We just announced an agreement with a bipartisan group of 52 Attorneys General across U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia to set a new industry standard, building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens,” a Meta spokesperson said in an email. “While this is an important step, these protections will only be truly effective if our peers-TikTok and YouTube-put the same measures in place.”
The $17 billion settlement, which remains subject to court approval, amounts to a fraction of Meta’s 2025 revenue of $201 billion.
Will new safeguards help?
Meta will put in place new child safety measures under the settlement, including a two-hour daily time limit for teens; a restriction barring minors from accessing Facebook and Instagram at night; and muted push notifications during school hours.
Meta will also enact changes to better verify the ages of its users who are under 18 and implement stronger, more user-friendly parental controls and limits on social-comparison features, such as “like” counts.
Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, where Meta is based, said the settlement will force the company to overhaul its approach to designing and operating social media.
“Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months,” he said in a statement. “We are talking about time limits, stopping notifications during school, a block on the app during critical overnight hours, bans on plastic surgery filters, and so much more.”
As tech companies have faced growing pressure about the impact of social media in recent years, Meta has added a number of safety features to Instagram, including separate accounts for teenagers with stronger protections around messaging and privacy, along with content restrictions.
But some child safety experts and former Meta employees contend that such features are largely ineffective.
Arturo Béjar, a former Meta engineering director, said during his testimony in the trial last week that the company designed its social media platforms to keep people engaged even if it harmed their mental health.
“If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,” he said.
The financial settlement will help states provide mental health services for young people and educate the public on the potential harm of social media, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“With significant new resources for our communities and comprehensive restrictions on Meta’s platforms for young people, we are taking a major step towards breaking the cycle of social media addiction,” she said in a statement.
Edited by Alain Sherter
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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