India, Aug. 30 -- The number is enormous - up to US$16.68 billion. But the real significance of Meta's settlement with American states lies not in the size of the cheque. It lies in what the case asks society to confront: when a digital platform is used by children, can it continue to design its products to maximise attention, engagement and data extraction and then place the burden of safety on children and their parents? Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed to settle claims brought by 29 US states during a federal trial in California. The states alleged that Meta designed its platforms in ways that made them addictive for young users, misled the public about the risks to children and improperly collected personal data from ch...