Meta and TikTok settle child safety lawsuits

Meta and TikTok have settled separate child safety lawsuits, with Meta agreeing to a $17 billion settlement and product changes in response to a lawsuit brought by 47 U.S. states, and TikTok agreeing to pay $400 million over a federal government lawsuit alleging violations of child safety and privacy laws. The settlements highlight ongoing concerns about social media's impact on young users, as a 2025 Pew Research Center survey found that 61% of U.S. teens use TikTok daily and 55% use Instagram daily, with 48% of teens saying social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age.

The Briefing ☀️ Happy Thursday The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here In today’s email: Featured story: Meta, TikTok settle child safety lawsuits In other news: Tensions rise between Mexican government and journalists Looking ahead: AI literacy lessons are working their way into schools Chart of the week: Who should be most responsible for ensuring Americans know how to check the accuracy of news? 🔥 Featured story Recent settlements involving Meta and TikTok have put renewed attention on claims that social media companies do not adequately protect young users. Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, agreed to a $17 billion settlement https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/technology/meta-settlement-social-media-addiction-lawsuit.html?unlocked article code=1.8VA.kXHt.Hj0ytF9e77nn&smid=nytcore-ios-share as well as changes to its products in response to a lawsuit brought by 47 U.S. states. The lawsuit argued Meta knowingly contributed to social media addiction and harmed children. Meanwhile, in a separate case, TikTok agreed to pay $400 million https://www.axios.com/2026/08/21/doj-tiktok-biden-lawsuit-settlement over a federal government lawsuit alleging violations of child safety and privacy laws. The platforms at the center of these debates are widely used by U.S. teens: More than half of those ages 13 to 17 use TikTok 61% and Instagram 55% daily, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/ frequency-of-online-platform-use . This includes 21% who said they use TikTok “almost constantly” and 12% who reported the same about Instagram. In a 2024 Center survey of teens https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/22/teens-social-media-and-mental-health/ teens-views-of-and-experiences-on-social-media , 48% said social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age, up from 32% in 2022. And 45% said they spend too much time on social media. At the same time, many teens also see benefits from using these platforms. For example, 74% said social media helps them feel more connected to friends. 📌 In other news Tensions rise https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-08-21/did-mexico-create-blacklist-of-journalists-politicians-president-says-no between Mexican government and journalists - Arbitrator orders The Washington Post to rehire columnist https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/business/washington-post-karen-attiah.html Karen Attiah, who was fired over Charlie Kirk comments Pentagon fires leadership https://apnews.com/article/stars-stripes-pentagon-censorship-media-d42affb0c17fef31c6089645c8dbbe70 of Stars and Stripes - Former Alabama basketball player awarded $9.25 million https://patch.com/alabama/tuscaloosa/jury-sides-kai-spears-nyt-defamation-trial-awards-9-25m-damages in rare defamation verdict against The New York Times California governor signs bill https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316993033.html to protect privacy of immigration support workers, which Republicans call the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” Journalist Catherine Herridge turns to Supreme Court https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/aug/25/catherine-herridge-journalist-supreme-court to avoid daily fine for refusing to disclose her sources- A look at the former investigative journalist https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/08/22/how-john-solomon-became-trumps-white-house-secret-hunter/ now working for the White House The New York Times begins testing https://www.semafor.com/article/08/23/2026/new-york-times-tests-out-ai-generated-search-summaries AI search tool highlighting its reporting 📅 Looking ahead Thirty-seven states have published official guidance for artificial intelligence in schools https://apnews.com/article/ai-literacy-schools-education-4fb9f2c0240993499870f4f204bf41c1 as AI tools continue to evolve. And some schools have started incorporating AI literacy into their curriculums in hopes of teaching students how to use the technology safely and effectively. As of last fall https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/ , a majority of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 64% said they were using AI chatbots, including more than half who had used chatbots to search for information 57% or get help with schoolwork 54% . About a quarter of all teens 26% said they were extremely or very confident in their ability to use AI chatbots https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/ ai-literacy-confidence-and-awareness , while 31% were somewhat confident and 7% were not too or not at all confident. An additional 36% said they had not used chatbots. 📊 Chart of the week As Americans navigate an increasingly complex information environment, whose job it is to make sure people know what information they can trust and how to check whether news is accurate? This week ’ s chart looks at this question, which we asked in a December 2025 survey https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/02/11/who-should-make-sure-people-know-how-to-verify-news-according-to-americans/ : 44% of Americans say individuals themselves should be most responsible – by far the largest share. 22% say news organizations should carry this responsibility.- Smaller shares put the responsibility on others, such as schools or the government. most responsible for making sure Americans know how to check if news is accurate “Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News” most responsible for making sure Americans know how to check if news is accurate | All U.S. adults | Rep/Lean Rep | Dem/Lean Dem | | |---|---|---|---| | Individuals themselves | 44% | 52% | 37% | | News organizations | 22% | 20% | 24% | | Teachers or schools | 9% | 4% | 14% | | The government | 9% | 7% | 9% | | Parents or family members | 5% | 6% | 4% | | Tech or social media companies | 4% | 4% | 5% | | None of the above | 5% | 5% | 5% | “Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News” 👋 That’s all for this week. The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Mia Hennen. Do you like this newsletter? Email us at journalism@pewresearch.org or fill out this two-question survey to tell us what you think .