Name: Video: Meta reaches $17 billion settlement with states in landmark trial over teen social media addiction
Description: Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states.

Live updates and results from primary election night

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

 has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end 

 over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, state attorneys general announced Wednesday.

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that 

 in 2023, but the deal cuts short the trial, which was expected to see CEO Mark Zuckerberg 

 before a jury in federal court in California.

The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone and is one of the biggest in state consumer protection history, Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement.

“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health," Jones said. The settlement "will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm.”

Minnesota's share of the Meta settlement will be at least $214 million but could rise to $307 million if other major social media companies sign onto its terms, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

The first installment will come within 30 days, with the rest coming each January starting in 2027. There are eleven categories of programs that states can use the money for, ranging from crisis hotlines to training for youth on better social media habits.

"The groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook in this settlement are more comprehensive than any court has ordered so far," Ellison said. "When fully implemented, they will create a safer and more healthy experience for our kids to connect through social media."

Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”

“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard."

The company urged its rivals to adopt similar safety measures.

The $17 billion settlement is a fraction of Meta's 2025 revenue of $201 billion.

The lawsuit accused Meta of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that 

 to its platforms and hiding them from the public. It also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.

 in Oakland, California, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers overseeing the proceedings. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, began his testimony late Tuesday and defended Meta’s record and progress on child safety and privacy.

The cases in other states had been expected to go to trial later. In addition, nine attorneys general filed lawsuits in their respective states.

Under the proposed settlement, Meta agreed to adopt a series of safety features, including a “hard cap” on daily time limits and pauses for children using Instagram and Facebook.

It will eliminate push notifications during weekday school hours and bring in “robust” age-assurance measures and “age-appropriate” content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about eating disorders and self-harm.

There will be stronger and more user-friendly parental controls and limits on social comparison features such as “like” counts.

The federal lawsuit was the result of an investigation led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. It followed newspaper reports, first by 

 in 2021, that found that the company knew about the harm Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues.

 to Instagram, including separate accounts for teenagers with stronger protections around messaging and privacy, along with content restrictions.

But child safety experts, along with some 

, have long contended that the features are little more than window dressing.

, a former Meta engineering director, said during his testimony last week that Meta consistently prioritized profits over safety in designing its products, focusing on how often and for how long people used them, even if it was detrimental to their mental well-being.

“If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,” he said.

While the four states in the Oakland trial did not officially say how much they had been seeking, Meta said in a court filing that financial penalties in the case could amount to as much as $1.4 trillion — a figure legal experts said was unlikely, if not impossible.

Crime, Law and Justice

Politics and Election News

Homepage

The Associated Press

Author

MPR News Staff

Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states.

Meta reaches $17 billion settlement with states in landmark trial over teen social media addiction

A man stands behind a podium to speak to press.

Cait Kelley | MPR News

Two men stand behind a podium to speak to press.

Meta reaches $17 billion settlement with states in landmark trial over teen social media addiction

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox