New Delhi, Aug. 29 -- Meta has agreed to settle a case with US states over allegations that Facebook and Instagram are harming children and teenagers, but it comes with an unusual condition. The tech giant can avoid paying billions, depending on what changes its rivals make to their platforms.

As a part of the settlement, Meta has agreed to pay $12.7 billion over 10 years. And another $5.3 billion is contingent on whether Snapchat, ByteDance's TikTok, and Alphabet's Google and YouTube impose similar protections for children.

That means the headline figure of up to $18 billion does not necessarily reflect the amount Meta will ultimately pay.

Though there has been no immediate reaction to the matter from Snapchat, ByteDance's TikTok, Goo...