Arkansas would receive $172M under proposed multistate settlement with Meta

Arkansas is set to receive at least $172 million under a multistate settlement proposed with Meta to end lawsuits regarding child safety on social media, Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office said Wednesday.

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram agreed to settle with Arkansas and 50 other attorneys general for $17.1 billion, the largest ever with a Big Tech firm. The proposed agreement is still subject to court approval.

Arkansas sued Meta in 2023, accusing the company of violating the state’s deceptive trade practices act and misleading minors and parents about the addictive nature of its platforms’ algorithms. 

Meta to pay 47 states up to $17.1B in landmark child safety settlement

Griffin, a Republican who took office in 2023, called the settlement announcement a “proud day for Arkansas.”

“For years, Meta represented that its platforms posed no risk to the mental health of young people, all while knowing that its algorithms were designed to get kids hooked and to keep them online for as long as possible, with well-documented adverse mental health consequences,” Griffin said in a statement.

As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to new safety features including “nighttime blocks” restricting children’s access from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. and stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders and content related to suicide and self-harm.

Meta urged TikTok and YouTube to join and put the same safety measures in place.

“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” Meta said in a statement on its website. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.”

Arkansas has filed several lawsuits against social media and gaming platforms, including Roblox, Snapchat and Tiktok, over child safety concerns. 

Arkansas files lawsuit against Snapchat parent company

Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has also pushed for more restrictions on minors’ social media access. 

A federal judge in April blocked the enforcement of a 2025 law Sanders signed that would have required age verification to create new social media accounts. A 2023 version of the law had been struck down as unconstitutional.

“This historic settlement is a testament to the hard work of states like Arkansas that led on this fight to protect kids online,” Sanders said in a statement. “We will continue to hold Big Tech accountable, and I am hopeful other social media companies will follow Meta’s lead accepting responsibility for the harm their platforms have done to kids and begin to right this wrong.” 

The Meta settlement would be one of the biggest Arkansas has received in recent years. Arkansas has received nearly $1.5 billion through a 1998 settlement with tobacco companies and is set to receive at least $216 million through a 2021 settlement with three opioid distributors.