A bipartisan US coalition of 51 state and territorial attorneys generals on Wednesday announced a proposed agreement with Meta in which the tech titan will pay up to $17.1 billion in penalties and implement sweeping policy changes to settle claims its social media platforms were designed to be addictive to children.
"Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of difference for children and their families," Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms—and will do it within months."
The proposed settlement, which still requires federal court approval, ends a closely watched trial that began last week in Oakland, California. The underlying case was brought by 29 states, while the broader agreement announced Wednesday involves a much larger bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general and jurisdictions, bringing 47 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands together to take on one of Silicon Valley's most powerful companies.
Just three states are not part of the agreement. New Mexico—which already won a separate trial against Meta—Texas, and Florida, whose Republican attorney general, James Utheimer, scoffed at what he suggested is a paltry penalty.
"The payouts are peanuts compared to the profound harms Meta’s profit-driven addictive features inflicted on kids, and a slap on the wrist for a trillion-dollar [corporation] that’ll pay more to lawyers than to the states," Utheimer said on X. "We’ll see them at trial."
The litigants had accused Meta—which denies any wrongdoing—of using features including algorithmic recommendations, infinite scrolling, notifications, social-comparison tools, and other engagement mechanisms to maximize the amount of time young people spend on its platforms. They also alleged that Meta illegally collected data from children under 13 and misled parents and the public about the safety of its products.
“Children in New York and nationwide are suffering while companies like Meta reap immense profits by intentionally addicting them to their social media platforms,” Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James said after the settlement was announced. “We cannot allow social media companies to continue fueling the growing rates of low self-esteem, isolation, and depression among our youth."
The proposed agreement imposes some of the most extensive restrictions on a major social media platform ever secured in the US. Users under age 18 would face a default two-hour daily limit on Facebook and Instagram, adjustable only by a parent. If other major social media platforms agree to comparable restrictions, the limit would fall to one hour. Meta would also institute a default overnight block from midnight to 6:00 am, again subject to parental override. Notifications would be disabled during overnight hours and during much of the school day.
Other provisions would prohibit Meta from displaying "like" and reaction counts to minors and from providing cosmetic procedure filters to users under 18. Teenagers would also receive an option to use a nonpersonalized feed rather than an algorithmic system designed to select content based on their engagement.
"With significant new resources for our communities and comprehensive restrictions on Meta’s platforms for young people, we are taking a major step towards breaking the cycle of social media addiction," James said. "This groundbreaking plan sets a standard of reforms for all social media platforms, and I will continue to work to extend these protections across the industry.”
Josh Golin, executive director of the child advocacy group Fairplay, issued a statement calling the agreement "a watershed moment for the growing movement to protect children from addictive and dangerously designed social media."
“This settlement also underscores the need for KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act," Golin added. "As internal documents have shown over and over, Meta and other social media companies deliberately design their products to addict kids, and that is the root cause of so many mental health difficulties and serious online harms for minors."
Earlier this month, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced KOSA, which passed earlier in the House of Representatives and is supported by many child advocacy groups but opposed by the ACLU, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and other digital rights organizations that argue the bill's privacy risks outweigh its protections.
Wednesday's agreement comes after years of mounting evidence, lawsuits, whistleblower disclosures, and jury verdicts alleging that Meta knew its products could harm young users.
Earlier this year, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding that the company violated state law by putting children at risk. A day later, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent in a case brought by a young woman who said she had been harmed by addictive features on Instagram and YouTube.
Following Wednesday's announcement, Meta called on "peers" TikTok and YouTube to "join us in supporting teens" by agreeing to some of the same measures required by the settlement.
Responding to the proposed Meta settlement, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said that “this is a monumental victory for online safety that will affect an entire generation of young people."
"After decades of putting profits before the health and wellness of children, this landmark settlement requires Meta to put our children’s safety and mental health at the forefront,” he continued.
“It is imperative that all social media apps protect our children, and I will continue working with my colleagues toward that end," Raoul added. "This settlement sends a message that we will not hesitate to take action to protect children online."
