Meta has agreed to pay $12.2 billion — a number that could rise to $17 billion if other platforms agree to terms — and add child-safety measures to Facebook and Instagram to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction. The payment settles claims filed by 47 states, including Utah, which has been on a crusade against the mental health effects of social media.
“More than three years ago, I said that without strong action, social media companies would not make the changes necessary to protect our children,” said Gov. Spencer Cox. “Today’s historic settlement proves both the urgency of that warning and what determined state action can accomplish.”
California, Colorado, Kentucky and Utah were among 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023. The settlement cuts short the trial, which was expected to see CEO Mark Zuckerberg take the stand before a jury in federal court in California. The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone and is one of the biggest in state consumer protection history. Utah's share is worth $212 million, with a possible ceiling of $301 million if other companies settle.
The agreement awaits court approval.
With the deal, Attorney General Derek Brown said that for the first time, “Meta must put kids’ safety ahead of its business model.”
The Meta settlement covers claims made by the states that the company designed its platforms with addictive features and exposed teens and younger users to mental health harm. The states also said the company misled the public about the safety of its online products. Beyond payment, Meta agreed to several safety features:
- Better age verification of users
- A two-hour combined daily time limit for Instagram and Facebook
- Nighttime restrictions for children from midnight to 6 a.m.
- No push notifications during school hours
- The option of an algorithm-free feed for users under 18
- Age-appropriate content controls and stronger, more user-friendly parental controls
- Limits on social comparison features such as beauty filters and visible likes
“This gives Utah families a leg up in protecting their kids from harmful content and compulsive habits with Instagram and Facebook,” Brown added. “We will continue to use all legal tools available to us to protect kids online.”
An independent auditor will follow up on Meta's actions for the settlement, including ongoing assessment of the safety features.
Utah's leaders have long been critics of social media, passing laws, filing suits and lecturing tech companies to come around to the state's way of thinking. Cox and others even successfully pushed a school cellphone ban through to give children a device-free reprieve.
“These unprecedented reforms will help protect millions of children, and they make clear that Meta could have chosen to implement these changes and protect children all along,” Cox said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
