Meta settles with Kentucky, other states, including changes for kids’ safety

Social media giant Meta has agreed to settle a multi-state lawsuit for $17.1 billion and make changes to its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, for children’s safety, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Wednesday morning. 

Coleman’s office said in a press release that under the terms of the settlement, which is still subject to approval by the court, Kentucky will receive $358 million. 

The trial began in California last week and had been expected to last six to eight weeks. Kentucky was leading the case in court with California, Colorado and New Jersey. Attorneys general from 25 other states were also part of the lawsuit. The states claimed Meta used harmful features to drive compulsive use by children and teens while also claiming the platforms were safe for young users. 

Immediate changes Meta must implement as part of the settlement to Facebook and Instagram include: 

• Time limits and “Productive Pauses” for children: for its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling.
• “Nighttime blocks” restricting children’s access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
• Limited school-time access for children, eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the school year.
• Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
• Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
• Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.

Most changes will be in effect for a decade. An independent auditor and the settling states will regularly assess the implementation and efficacy of the features. 

Coleman, a Republican, previously said this was the “largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history.” 

“While Meta is certainly paying for its conduct, this was never just about the money. Kids deserve a childhood that isn’t measured in likes and followers,” Coleman said in a statement Wednesday. “The online protections delivered by this settlement will bring a generational change that will make social media platforms safer for Kentucky families.” 

Kentucky will also receive $7.5 million from Meta to settle an investigation into Cambridge Analytica. Coleman’s office said that ahead of the 2016 election, Meta had “shared nonpublic information about its users with third parties like the political consulting and data analytics firm.” 

In a statement, Meta called on TikTok and YouTube to join them in making similar changes for youth. 

“While this is an important step, the fact is that teens move fluidly between dozens of apps a day,” the statement said. “All platforms should empower parents and support teens by putting the same measures in place, because we know that when teens are restricted on one app, they simply move to another.” 

Meta said the fund “can be used to fund youth online safety initiatives, among other state priorities.”