Meta Platforms agreed to pay $17.1 billion to resolve claims by 47 states, Washington D.C., and four territories that the company designed its platforms to addict children and knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harm.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced the settlement, which resolves state investigations into Meta's Instagram and Facebook. Nevada will receive a guaranteed $178.1 million over 10 years, with potential additional payments up to $255.9 million.
Under the agreement, Meta must implement new safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including a combined two-hour daily time limit for children with mandatory pauses after 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous use. If Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube adopt comparable restrictions, the daily limit will drop to 60 minutes for 10 years.
Meta must also implement nighttime access blocks from midnight to 6 a.m., eliminate push notifications to children on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year, implement robust age verification measures, and strengthen parental controls. The company must limit social comparison features including beauty filters and visible "like" counts that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in young people.
An independent auditor and the settling states will regularly assess the implementation and effectiveness of the features. The settlement requires more significant and comprehensive restrictions than any previously ordered by a court.
The settlement also resolves states' claims against Meta regarding its past sharing of nonpublic information about Facebook users with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, prior to the 2016 election.