Attorney General Mayes announced a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. to resolve claims regarding the safety of Instagram and Facebook for young users. In a statement, officials noted the agreement is one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in history, comparable to the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
The settlement resolves claims from 48 states, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The legal action followed a nationwide investigation into whether Meta designed addictive features that exposed young users to mental health harms while misleading the public about platform safety. Arizona is expected to receive approximately $223 million from the settlement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Meta must implement several safety features on Instagram and Facebook. These include a combined two-hour daily time limit for children with mandatory pauses at 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous use. The features also include nighttime blocks from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., the elimination of weekday push notifications during school hours from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. during the school year, and enhanced age assurance measures.
Additional requirements include stronger parental controls and limits on social comparison features, such as visible like counts and beauty filters. The settlement also addresses claims regarding Meta sharing nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties, such as Cambridge Analytica, prior to the 2016 election. The implementation and effectiveness of these safety features will be monitored by an independent auditor and the settling states.
Attorney General Mayes stated that the settlement marks a change in how social media platforms are regulated for young people and urged other companies, including YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, to adopt similar protections. The settlement includes participation from numerous states, including Utah, Alabama, California, and New York.
