India, Aug. 26 -- Meta has settled a major child safety lawsuit in the US involving Facebook and Instagram. The company has reached an $18 billion settlement with 29 US states over allegations that its platforms could harm children and teenagers.

Meta will pay $18 billion as part of the settlement. The case was brought by state attorneys general from 29 states. The legal action was led by attorneys general from states including California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey.

The states accused Meta of designing features that kept children scrolling. They claimed Facebook and Instagram used features that were "harmful and psychologically manipulative" and were designed to keep young users spending more time on the platforms.

The states a...