Every long-running legal drama gets a finale. This one closes on an invoice.
Roll credits, cut a check: Meta agreed to a $17B settlement with 47 states over claims it knowingly fueled social media addiction and harmed kids.
TikTok paid $400M in a separate federal case alleging child safety and privacy violations.
The audience at the center is the one that built these platforms. 61% of 13-17s use TikTok daily, 55% use Instagram.
No post-credits scene for YouTube yet: One report claims the FTC is examining account blocking and terminations.
That same report concedes the FTC has announced nothing and is still focused on privacy and data. File it as a signal, not a case.
Don’t touch that dial: Agency execs told Adweek the settlement changes audience supply, not ad mechanics. Targeting and buying stay intact.
Meta’s restrictions only bite the wider market if YouTube, Snap, and TikTok adopt them too.
Those restrictions: overnight blackouts, notification limits during school hours, and a two-hour daily cap.
If peers follow, teen inventory contracts and under-18 CPMs climb, hitting gaming, fast food, and fashion hardest.
Your move is not a relocation, though. Log reach, frequency, CPM, placement, daypart, and conversion quality for 13-17 and 18-24 now.
Buyers expect a slow softening over 12 to 18 months, so you’ll want a baseline to compare against.
