Meta Reaches Settlement in Social Media Child Safety Case - DTH

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Meta has reached a significant settlement with 29 US state attorneys general regarding child safety practices on Facebook and Instagram, agreeing to pay up to $16.68 billion while implementing changes such as daily usage limits and nighttime blocks for teenagers. Although Meta denies any wrongdoing in the agreement, the financial penalty represents a substantial reduction from earlier pre-trial expectations, where some states had sought penalties approaching $200 billion or even $1.4 trillion. This legal resolution marks a major shift in how social media platforms must operate to protect minors, setting a precedent that could influence future regulations across the industry. In parallel developments concerning youth protection, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday filed lawsuits against both Snap and TikTok for failing to adequately safeguard children from addictive platform features and data mishandling. Snap responded by expressing disappointment over the decision to pursue litigation rather than collaboration, while TikTok faced a separate fine of approximately $30 million from Brazil's data protection regulator for illegally obtaining personal data from minors. The Brazilian ruling mandates that ByteDance delete all illicitly acquired data and submit a plan to enhance protections for young users, highlighting a global trend where governments are increasingly holding tech giants accountable for their handling of sensitive information involving children. Beyond regulatory actions, the tech landscape saw several product updates and industry shifts, including Apple's rollout of ads in Apple Maps that appear before suggested places and within search results while maintaining strict privacy standards by keeping data on user devices. Amazon announced the official closure of its Mechanical Turk service by September 30, 2026, ending a platform that has been active since 2005, though some insurance and travel companies are already seeking alternatives for their crowdsourcing needs. Additionally, Instagram introduced a new feature called First Draft on iOS that automatically trims video clips and highlights engaging sections without using AI or text prompts, distinguishing its approach from competitors like Adobe and CapCut. The music industry also faced significant changes as the Australian Recording Industry Association announced that songs where generative AI created primary creative elements would no longer be eligible for charts starting August 28, 2026. This rule aims to preserve artistic integrity by excluding fully AI-generated tracks from rankings and award considerations, although songs partially constructed with AI remain permissible if produced through legal services that do not train on artists' music without permission. These evolving policies reflect a broader industry effort to balance technological innovation with ethical standards, privacy concerns, and fair compensation for creators in an increasingly automated digital environment.

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These are the daily tech headlines for Wednesday, August 26th, 2026. I'm Jen Cutter. A settlement has been reached in the case against Meta brought by 29 US states attorneys general over child safety practices on Facebook and Instagram. According to Reuters, information at this time says Meta will pay up to 16.68 billion dollars as well as make changes to how teens are able to interact with the platforms, including daily usage limits and night time blocks. Meta denies any wrongdoing in the settlement. Reuters notes that several states pre-trial were seeking up to 1.4 trillion dollars in penalties with some states previously expecting a number closer to 200 billion. On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a lawsuit against Snap, owners of Snapchat, over its failure to protect children from the addictive nature of the platform violating Pennsylvania's consumer protection laws. Responding to the filing, a Snap spokesperson said, "We share the Attorney General's commitment to protecting young people online and are disappointed they have chosen litigation rather than working with us towards that shared goal." The Pennsylvania Attorney General filed a similar suit against TikTok earlier in August. Also on Tuesday and also against TikTok, the Brazilian data protection regulator fined ByteDance an equivalent to approximately 30 million US dollars due to failures to safely handle the personal data of children and teens. The regulator's ruling includes an order for TikTok to delete all illegally obtained data and to offer a plan to improve protections for minors. ByteDance has 10 days to appeal. Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that the rollout to show ads to users in Apple Maps began a few days ago and is continuing to ramp up to full deployment across the United States and Canada. Ads appear before searching in the suggested places screen and also within search results depending on relevance. Ads are labeled with a blue badge to make it clear it's a paid listing. An Apple Newsroom post says ads in Maps are not associated with a user's Apple account, personal data stays on a user's device, is not collected or stored by Apple, and is not shared with third parties. Back in July, Amazon announced it was no longer accepting new customers for its Mechanical Turk service. And now Amazon announced Mechanical Turk will officially close on September 30th, 2026. The platform had been active since 2005. A Mechanical Turk worker told CNBC that some insurance and travel companies still use Mechanical Turk heavily and are now looking for another suitable platform to perform the same tasks. On Threads, Instagram announced a new feature within the app called First Draft, which can auto trim video clips to remove pauses as well as pull together the most interesting sections for Reels. Any edits made by First Draft can be adjusted or undone entirely. An Instagram spokesperson told The Verge the tool does not use AI or text prompts. This is a different approach than similar features offered by Adobe and CapCut apps. First Draft will be available on iOS first, with no word on if or when an Android version could follow. And the Australian Recording Industry Association, ARIA, announced that songs where generative AI has produced the creative elements of a track or a primary part of them will no longer be eligible to hit the charts beginning Friday, August 28th, 2026. An AI cover of Madonna's Like a Prayer hit number two on the ARIA charts back in May and is currently sitting at number four. Songs partially constructed with AI will still be permitted under the new rules, but only if produced with legal AI services and not those trained on artist music without permission. AI-generated music will further not be included in consideration for any ARIA Awards. For more discussion on the tech news of the day, subscribe to the Daily Tech News Show at dailytechnewsshow.com, where you can also find the show notes and links to every headline. Please remember to rate and review Daily Tech Headlines on your podcast service of choice. From everyone here at Daily Tech Headlines, thanks for listening.