Georgia to receive up to $135M in landmark Meta settlement
FILE-In this photo illustration, the app icons of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR are displayed on a smartphone screen with a Meta logo in the background. (Photo Illustration by Onur Dogman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Im
ATLANTA - Georgia could receive nearly $135 million as part of a landmark $17.1 billion settlement with Meta Platforms that will also require sweeping changes to how Instagram and Facebook operate for children and teenagers, according to Georgia Attorney Chris Carr.
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What we know:
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced the agreement Wednesday, calling it the largest state consumer protection settlement in U.S. history outside of the tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
Georgia is initially expected to receive close to $100 million, with the state's total potentially reaching almost $135 million.
The agreement resolves claims brought by 47 states, including Georgia, along with the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories. The states accused Meta of designing Instagram with addictive features, exposing young users to potential mental health harms and misleading the public about the safety of its platforms.
Meta did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
Carr: Other social media companies should follow
What they're saying:
Carr said the agreement could establish a new standard for how social media companies protect younger users.
"For years, we pushed major social media platforms to implement critical safeguards that protect our kids online, and that’s exactly what this outcome helps to accomplish," Carr said.
Carr also acknowledged that concerns about children's social media use extend beyond Meta and credited the company with becoming the first major platform to reach a comprehensive resolution over youth safety.
"This is a landmark agreement that sets the standard for future cases, and while Meta is the first to come to the table, they shouldn’t be the last," Carr said. "It shouldn’t take lawsuits, legislation or investigations to do the right thing. Keeping our children safe will always be our top priority."
What will change on Instagram and Facebook?
What's next:
Under the settlement, Meta must introduce several safeguards for children using Instagram and Facebook.
The two platforms will have a combined two-hour daily limit for younger users, along with mandatory "Productive Pauses" after 15 minutes of continuous use and again after 60 and 90 minutes. Those restrictions will remain in place for five years.
Children will also be blocked from accessing the platforms from midnight to 6 a.m. During the school year, push notifications will be eliminated on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Other changes include stronger age-verification measures and parental controls, along with additional protections against bullying and content involving eating disorders, suicide and self-harm.
Meta will also limit certain features that encourage social comparison, including beauty filters and visible "like" counts.
An independent auditor and the states involved in the settlement will regularly evaluate whether the new protections are being implemented and whether they are effective.
The agreement could become even more restrictive if other major social media companies follow Meta's lead. If Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube adopt comparable protections, the daily limit on each platform would drop to 60 minutes for 10 years.
Years-long investigation leads to settlement
The backstory:
The agreement follows a nationwide investigation launched in 2021 by attorneys general examining how social media platforms were designed and marketed to children and teenagers.
The states alleged Meta knew certain Instagram features could encourage compulsive use among children while the company internally documented potential mental health consequences.
Attorneys general eventually sued Meta individually or as part of consolidated federal litigation.
The settlement also resolves state claims involving Meta's sharing of nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, before the 2016 election.
Georgia is among dozens of states and U.S. territories participating in the agreement, which Carr's office said could help establish a framework for future efforts involving other social media platforms.