Pa. and N.J. will each get more than $500 million from landmark Meta settlement over child protections
The shares are part of a larger payout of up to $17.1 billion.
As part of a settlement involving almost every U.S. state, Pennsylvania and New Jersey will each receive more than $500 million from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, after a multistate coalition sued the tech giant for failing to protect kids from becoming addicted.
The two states’ shares are part of a larger payout of the $12.1 billion to $17.1 billion Meta will be required to make over the next 10 years to the states and U.S. territories involved in the suit. The exact figure will depend on other social media companies agreeing to make similar changes.
Pennsylvania is expected to receive at least $516 million and up to $729 million, while New Jersey is expected to receive at least $525 million and up to $752 million, according to statements from each state’s attorney general.
“We can’t simply tell parents to do better while allowing technology companies to design platforms that are engineered to addict children,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said during a news conference Wednesday. “Parents deserve better. Children deserve better, and today shows that Big Tech can do better — some just chose not to. Today is the first step in forcing Big Tech to do better.”
Earlier this week, Sunday announced a lawsuit against Snap Inc., owner of Snapchat, and earlier this month he announced a lawsuit against TikTok over similar child protection issues.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to the monetary payments, the tech giant will also be required to make changes to satisfy the states’ concerns over child safety.
“As a parent, protecting your kids is always your North Star,” New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement. “This agreement achieves critical protections for our children today.”
Neither attorney general commented on how the settlement funds would be used.
Instagram and Facebook will have to implement a combined two-hour daily time limit for child users with a mandatory pause after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes. These time limits will be in effect for five years. If Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube — social media apps owned by other companies — agree to adopt similar terms, the daily limit on each platform would drop to 60 minutes and last for 10 years.
Child users also will not be able to access the websites from midnight to 6 a.m., will have limited access during school hours, and will not receive push notifications on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the school year.
The company will be required to bolster its age-assurance measures to more accurately verify the age of users. It will also need to improve its age-appropriate content controls to better shield child users against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
Meta will have to limit its social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible tallies of likes on posts, and will be required to make parent controls stronger and more user-friendly.
“These are changes that matter because they directly address how young people interact with these platforms, how long they use them, when they use them, what they are exposed to on these platforms, and the role that parents can play in keeping them safe,” Sunday said.
These changes, which are required to be enacted in the next six months, will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling parties.
