New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- Meta has agreed to an $18 billion settlement to resolve a major lawsuit alleging that its social media platforms contributed to harm among teenagers. But the deal comes with an unusual condition: TikTok and YouTube could determine whether Meta has to pay the full amount.

The settlement, announced on Wednesday, would impose some of Meta's toughest restrictions yet on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram. At the same time, Meta is asking rival platforms to adopt similar safeguards.

Here's what the agreement means and why TikTok and YouTube are central to it.

The agreement resolves a multi-state lawsuit filed in 2023 by a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general.

The states accused Meta of designing its p...