Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hit out at Meta after £13 billion child harm settlement, slam ‘data-extraction business model’: ‘The company paid to avoid yet another trial’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have once again put the spotlight on children's online safety. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have criticised Meta's "data-extraction business model" after the company agreed to pay up to £13 billion to settle a major child harm lawsuit in the US.In a statement cited by The Daily Mail, the couple accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of having used the model "on our children and all users for years". Meta is led by chairman and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg.Harry and Meghan said the settlement meant Meta had "paid to avoid yet another trial outcome that would force it into accountability". They also argued that the company could afford the payout, claiming reports estimate Meta will make the equivalent of the settlement amount back in profits within 30 days.The agreement ends a legal battle in the US over allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed children. It also requires Meta to introduce a series of new protections for teenage users.For Harry and Meghan, who have increasingly campaigned on online safety, the settlement represents progress but not an endpoint. They described it as a "positive step for everyone advocating for safer online spaces".The couple said the development showed that Meta and other social media companies "understand they are up against an immovable force of parents, survivors, and advocates who will not back down until we see change in how our young people interact with online spaces".Harry and Meghan's full statementThe Sussexes released their statement under the headline 'Meta To Pay Billions In Child Endangerment Settlement, Issues No Apology'. Their full statement read:"The historic trial against Meta over claims that its products endanger children has resulted in a settlement in which they will pay up to $17.1 billion. The settlement requires Meta to pay financial penalties for violating federal child privacy and states' consumer protection laws.By choosing to settle, the company paid to avoid yet another trial outcome that would force it into accountability. Because of the data-extraction business model Meta has used on our children and all users for years, it has more than the means to pay this settlement. Reports estimate Meta will make the equivalent of the $17 billion payout back in profit in the next 30 days.Alongside the settlement, Meta announced it will be making significant product changes for teens, including restricting platform use between 12 am and 6 am, stopping notifications during school hours, an optional chronological feed (as opposed to one based on algorithmically recommended interest-based content), and banning features that negatively impact mental health like beauty filters. Restricting teens' time on the platforms, if successfully enforced, would hit the company's business model, which relies on users spending as much time on the app as possible to see ads and generate data for advertisers.Meta's statement about these changes suggests it worked with 52 state attorneys to reach these product decisions, showing how unanimous the desire for change is across the United States. Their statement also emphasizes empowering parents with additional controls, which will need to be tested for effectiveness given Meta's history of placing responsibility for safety solely on parents.The statement fails to apologize or mention the billions it will pay out because of claims brought by the 29-state coalition and the 47 states plus the District of Columbia and territories included in the settlement. Their statement calls on YouTube and TikTok to join them in making similar design changes, and this agreement may also affect similar claims against other social media giants like Snap, YouTube, and TikTok.We hope it quickly sparks change from other tech leaders across the industry.This result clearly signals that Meta and social media companies understand they are up against an immovable force of parents, survivors, and advocates who will not back down until we see change in how our young people interact with online spaces. It is a positive step for everyone advocating for safer online spaces and at the same time – far from the end of the journey to a better online world.We celebrate with the parent and youth partners, legal and policy experts, and allies everywhere fighting for accountability. As always, we stand with them as they seek justice going forward, ensuring child online safety is built into any online space where our young people spend time."What Meta has agreed to changeThe settlement resolves claims brought by 47 US states accusing Meta of designing Instagram with features that could be addictive to children and teenagers and harm their mental health.The trial began last week in California and had been expected to include testimony from Zuckerberg before a federal court jury. The settlement is being viewed as one of the largest in state consumer protection history in the US.Under the agreement, Meta has unveiled protections and controls that will automatically apply to under-18 users on Instagram and Facebook, subject to court approval and only in participating US states.The changes include a default night-time block from midnight to 6am, muted notifications during school hours, hiding the number of likes and reactions on posts by default and blocking teenagers from using extreme makeup filters.Meta has also pledged to strengthen measures to prevent underage accounts from being created and to protect teenagers from harmful content.The changes, however, will not apply globally, including in the UK.The settlement will be paid in instalments over 10 years to the US states involved.Meta wants TikTok and YouTube involvedMeta has also called on TikTok and YouTube to introduce similar measures for teenage users.The company has warned that 30% of the settlement, worth approximately £4 billion, would only be paid if YouTube and TikTok agreed to pay the same amount and introduced measures such as one-hour daily limits, night mode and age-assurance systems.Meta chief legal officer CJ Mahoney said the company's new protections "will only work if all our peers join us"."Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution," he said. "As a parent, I'm proud of both the work Meta has done to protect kids historically, and of this new ground-breaking agreement."But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta's lead."Political reaction follows settlementThe settlement has also drawn a political response in the UK. The Tories said it demonstrated that social media companies "have turned a blind eye to the damage being done".Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: "Social media companies can no longer be allowed to freely harm our children."They should not have unfettered access to children until they can prove their platforms are safe. Today's settlement shows that they are not."Trott has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to "get on with" a social media ban for under-16s, which is set to come into force next year. She added: "Every further delay leaves more children exposed."The Molly Rose Foundation, established in memory of 14-year-old Molly from Harrow, London, who took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content, said the settlement "demonstrates that big tech can and should be held to account".Harry and Meghan's UK returnThe couple's intervention comes just a day after Harry and Meghan returned to Britain with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet following six years in the US.They arrived at Birmingham Airport around noon after travelling from California on a private aircraft. They are understood to have travelled with their children on a Bombardier Global Express XRS from Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles.The family were reportedly given no police protection on arrival, amid questions over whether taxpayers will ultimately pay for their security.Harry and Meghan are now setting up their home in Britain while planning to retain their properties in California and Portugal. They have said they intend to live as an "international" family.Their decision to return came as a surprise after they stepped back from the working monarchy in 2020 and later bought a home in Montecito.Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are expected to live in a non-royal residence outside London. Their children have reportedly been enrolled in schools in and around the Cotswolds and are due to start next week.The move follows a visit last month when the couple took Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, to see King Charles at his Highgrove home for the first time in four years.The rest of the Royal Family is currently at Balmoral for its summer break.Meghan has 4.8 million followers on her personal Instagram account, while her business, As Ever, has around 900,000 followers.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.