Maine to receive $56 million in landmark Meta settlement over addictive features

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced on Wednesday that he, along with the attorneys general of 50 other states and territories, had reached a settlement agreement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over concerns about the addictive nature of those platforms, especially for children.

The settlement totals around $17 billion, with Maine to receive at least $56 million under the agreement, which Frey’s office described as “the largest state consumer protection settlement in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s.”

It addresses allegations that Meta designed its social media apps, specifically Instagram, with addictive features, that it knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms. 

“This hard-fought settlement provides important protections for children on Meta’s platforms, Instagram and Facebook, and empowers parents with tools to help address the negative impacts of social media use on children,” said Frey. 

Frey, along with 33 other state attorneys general, initially sued Meta in October 2023 in a lawsuit that alleged Meta had received millions of complaints about underage users on Instagram, but never disclosed that fact or made any serious effort to close those accounts. 

Those changes — both their implementation and how well they are actually working — will be “regularly assessed” by the states in the settlement and an independent auditor.

The settlement also resolves the states’ claims against Meta over its sharing of nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, before the 2016 election, according to Frey’s office.

“While this settlement is an important step, the need to make social media safer for children must extend to the entire industry,” said Frey. “We will continue to work with our multistate partners to push for comprehensive changes that prioritize the safety and welfare of children over profit.” 

Michigan Advance reporter Kathrine Dailey contributed to this reporting.