Why Meta's settlement could be an 'inflection point' for reining in Big Tech

2026 has already brought a wave of setbacks for social media giants as pressure grows on Big Tech from regulators and lawmakers around the world.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5439x3626+0+0/resize/5439x3626!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F61%2F0b%2F3e16992b413983b988e892610ec9%2Fap26230657497731.jpg' alt='Olivia Konar holds a banner with names of young people who advocates say died as a result of social media outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. Her sister Coco Konar died in 2022 when she was 17. Social media company Meta agreed to a nearly $17 billion settlement with a group of states over its child safety practices.'/><p>2026 has already brought a wave of setbacks for social media giants as pressure grows on Big Tech from regulators and lawmakers around the world.</p><p>(Image credit: Noah Berger)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5945278' />