Meta’s $18 billion settlement puts TikTok and YouTube on notice. Who's next on the firing line?

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaves the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles after defending the company in a landmark social media addiction trial, Feb. 19, 2026.Jon Putman | Anadolu | Getty ImagesMeta's watershed social media trial just wrapped up in California, but now attention is shifting to the wider industry with TikTok, YouTube and Snap next on the firing line.The Instagram and Facebook owner settled in week two of a trial brought by a coalition of tens of U.S. states alleging that the tech giant had misled the public about the harms its platforms posed to younger users. The agreement includes a payment of up to $18 billion, part of which is tied to conditional action by other social media giants. Meta said it would also make fundamental changes to its platforms for users under the age of 18, including but not limited to a 2-hour daily usage limit that only a parent can lift, disabling extreme makeup and cosmetic surgery filters, tighter age verification measures, and night mode. Meta said it would only pay 70% of the settlement, or around $12.7 billion to the states over a period of 10-years. The remaining $5.3 billion is conditional on the company's rivals TikTok and Al...