Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by 29 US states regarding privacy violations and addictive design features on Facebook and Instagram. ^[1] The French constitutional council struck down the core of a new law intended to ban social media for children under 15 years old. ^[2] The French constitutional council validated the extension of a phone ban to high schoolers, which was already in effect for younger pupils. ^[3] Of the total settlement amount, $17.1 billion will be distributed directly to 48 US states, Washington D.C., and three territories. ^[4] The lawsuit accused Meta of violating privacy laws and deliberately designing addictive functions to retain children and teenagers on its platforms. ^[5] The settlement requires the total elimination of displaying like counts on posts belonging to accounts owned by minors. ^[6] Educators and parents are debating the impact of virtual learning environments on humanity's ability to hone reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. ^[7] State attorneys general in the U-S successfully forced Meta to impose curbs on screen time for teens after the company opted to settle for 17 billion dollars rather than face legal proceedings. ^[8]