YouTube News

YouTube stayed silent after Meta tied $5.3B to rival safety rules

Meta's $18 billion settlement with state attorneys general releases the final 30 percent only if YouTube and TikTok match teen usage limits.

YouTube had not responded to Meta's public call for matching teen safety measures as of Wednesday afternoon, the New York Post reported.

The silence came days after state attorneys general announced an $18 billion settlement with Mark Zuckerberg's Meta over claims its apps hooked children on social media. Meta owes about $12.7 billion upfront, or 70 percent of the total. The remaining $5.3 billion is released only if TikTok and YouTube together pay that same amount and adopt one-hour daily usage limits for teens, a night mode that blocks use during bedtime hours, and age verification.

Meta pressed the point in an open letter, saying the protections would work only if TikTok and YouTube put the same measures in place. TikTok also had not commented.

Fairplay executive director Josh Golin said the rival-contingent carveout showed the agreement fell short. "The fact that Meta doesn't have to pay the full penalty unless its corporate rivals follow suit underscores that this settlement is not nearly enough to create a safer, less addictive internet," he said.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said his office's expectations for TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat were clear and that those platforms were next.