The Washington Times

# Meta to pay $17 billion over teen safety lawsuit filed by dozens of states

Parents hold pictures of their deceased children during a protest against social media platforms outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Parents hold pictures of their deceased …

By Susan Ferrechio-

The Washington Times

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Meta Platformshas agreed to pay states up to $17.1 billion and implement new safety features for teen social media users in a landmark settlement over allegations that the tech titan pushed harmful content to children.

California, Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 33 states that sued Meta in 2023 over its Facebook and Instagram platforms, claiming the Big Tech giant knowingly features addictive and harmful content while hiding that information from the public. The settlement ultimately resolved claims from 47 states.

Virginia is slated to receive $353 million in the settlement, Attorney General Jay Jones said.

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

The massive settlement follows a string of legal victories against Meta. The company is facing lawsuits from thousands of plaintiffs over harms to children that they say Instagram and Facebook knowingly caused.

Earlier this year, Meta was ordered to pay New Mexico $375 million in damages after a jury found the company liable for endangering children and misleading consumers. Meta settled with a Kentucky school district in May, agreeing to pay $9 million for social media addiction and other mental health problems suffered by students who use its platforms and were distracted by them during class time.

In March, a Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and YouTube to pay a young woman $6 million, including $3 million in compensatory damages, after she sued the platforms for causing her childhood depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia.

Donna Rice Hughes, an internet safety advocate and president of Enough Is Enough, which fights for improvements in online safety, said the $17 billion settlement is a watershed victory in protecting children from the harms of social media platforms.

"This sends a message, not only to Meta leadership, that there is a big price to pay for not putting safety first," she said. "The ship has turned."

The agreement requires Meta to implement a series of new safety features for children who use Instagram and Facebook, including time limits to curb "endless scrolling."

The agreement also requires Meta to block children from using Instagram and Facebook from midnight to 6 a.m. and limit access to the platforms during school time, among other changes.

In a statement provided to The Washington Times, Meta Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney said the company is pleased with the settlement and believes the changes will empower parents to control how their children access Facebook and Instagram.

Mr. Mahoney called on TikTok and YouTube to immediately implement the same new safety features.

"Our new Time Limit Commitments, Night Mode features and usage limits during school hours set the right path forward for our whole industry, but this framework will only work if all our peers join us," Mr. Mahoney said.

The settlement requires Meta to pay out to states over a decade. It holds back about 30% of the money, or more than $5 billion, until YouTube and TikTok agree to adopt the same safety measures and jointly pay an additional $5.3 billion for online safety programs for children.

Specifically, the settlement calls on YouTube and TikTok to implement a daily limit of one hour, restrict nighttime use and require age verification on their platforms.

Indiana is set to receive up to $419.4 million in the settlement, Attorney General Todd Rokita said. He called the new safety requirements "groundbreaking changes" that will reduce compulsive use and resulting anxiety and depression among teen users.

One of the new safety requirements will limit beauty filters and visible "like" counts known to harm the mental health of children and teenagers.

An independent auditor and the 47 states ultimately included in the settlement will monitor the implementation and efficacy of the new safety features, Mr. Rokita said.

"This is not just about money; it's about changing how these platforms operate so they stop exploiting the developing brains of our kids," he said.

Meta has been implementing new child safety features in recent years in response to concerns and lawsuits over the impact of its social media platforms on children's mental health.

Meta bans children younger than 13 from using its platforms, but critics argue that the age verification requirements are easy to circumvent. Earlier this year, Meta introduced an Instagram feature requiring parental consent for children younger than 16 to post live videos.

In the federal trial that preceded the settlement, Meta denied wrongdoing and argued that social media addiction is not recognized as a psychiatric condition. Meta also argued that it was being singled out among other platforms, such as TikTok and YouTube, which children use heavily as well.

The settlement will not end the cascade of lawsuits from individuals and states claiming Big Tech's harm against children.

Texas, New Mexico and Florida did not participate in the settlement and are pursuing separate litigation against Meta.

The $17 billion settlement represents less than 1.2% of Meta's current$1.46 trillion market capitalization. States initially sought penalties as high as $1.4 trillion before reaching the agreement.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier called the settlement "peanuts compared to the profound harm Meta's profit-driven addictive features inflict on kids."

He added, "We'll see them at trial."

_• Seth McLaughlin contributed to this report._