Metas $18B settlement is a useful FIRST step toward protecting kids but can not be the LAST

Meta’s $18 billion settlement with 48 state attorneys general marks a welcome — and grossly overdue — step toward protecting kids from social media.The figure is surely more logical than the $1.4 trillion, roughly equal to the company’s market cap, that Meta says the AGs sought.Then again, it’s a pittance for the company: The platform might wind up paying as little as 30% of that amount over 10 years, or about $530 million a year — less than it hauls in on an average day.That hardly compares to the enormous harm social media has caused an entire generation of kids — those who’ve gotten addicted, suffered anxiety or depression or even attempted suicide.Still, as Fairplay, one of Meta’s loudest critics, concedes, the financial penalty is nonetheless “significant”; indeed, it sends an important message that the industry, and parents, can no longer ignore the damage done to kids.Even more notable: Meta agreed to several new measures to protect children, including a two-hour daily limit; blocks on night-time use as a default as well as on notifications during school hours; warnings every 15 minutes of continuous screen time; and new parental controls.That’s a useful start, though kids (and their parents) will likely need even tougher measures.For instance, critics blame Meta’s algorithms for getting kids hooked and other issues, yet the settlement reportedly provides no requirement for that software to be tweaked.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.Nor will its new steps solve any problems unless its competitors (looking at you, TikTok and YouTube) adopt similar measures.

Otherwise, kids will just flock to the competitors to escape Meta’s controls.That’s not only unfair to Meta, it’ll defeat the purpose of the changes.It’ll also light a...