On 26 August, Meta agreed to implement major changes to Facebook and Instagram as it settled a US trial over teen social media addiction for up to $17billion USD. The Business and Human Rights Centre responds.

Michael Clements, Executive Director, Business and Human Rights Centre, said: "It is increasingly clear that the legal shields that have long protected tech companies are not impregnable. Today’s announcement of Meta’s landmark $17 billion settlement, plus commitment to make major changes to its products, may signal a turning tide for Big Tech and its backers: a shifting calculus of risk in the boardroom and one that should prompt investors to question business models that have long prioritised speed and expansion over safety.

"The case for human rights due diligence in tech more generally has never been clearer, to identify and mitigate harms before they are built into the products that fundamentally shape and affect our lives."

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