The Journal. · Thursday, August 27, 2026
Meta's decision to settle for $18 billion, rather than risk a potentially larger loss and years of appeals, is seen by some as a strategic move to change business practices and protect children, aligning with their stated goals. The settlement, which includes court-mandated protections and an independent auditor, aims to prevent Meta from reverting to previous practices.
“So, you're saying that the assurance of a settlement was better than the risk of you pursuing the trial to its end?”
“So not only do we get the set of protections that we feel are necessary and appropriate, we get them now.”
“We're going to have an independent auditor to ensure that Meta does what they say they're going to do.”