Penalty Amount
$17,100,000,000
Attorney General James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general secured a landmark settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) worth up to $17.1 billion to address the company's harmful and addictive features targeting minors on Facebook and Instagram. The settlement requires Meta to implement significant changes, including age verification, time limits for minors, restrictions on notifications, and options to opt out of algorithmic feeds, along with monetary payments to states for mental health and education programs.
Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion to the states, with at least $12.1 billion guaranteed. The settlement also mandates that Meta verify user ages, limit minors to two hours of daily use, restrict night access, limit notifications, provide non-algorithmic feed options, and implement other content and privacy safeguards for users under 18. These restrictions will last at least five years and could strengthen if other social media companies reach similar settlements.
In-house legal teams should review their contracts with social media platforms and any agreements involving user data or minors to ensure compliance with the new standards set by this settlement. Key clauses to examine include those related to age verification, parental consent mechanisms, content moderation policies, algorithmic feed transparency, notification restrictions, and data collection practices for users under 18. Additionally, contracts should address the ability to implement non-algorithmic feed options and time limits, and include provisions for monitoring and reporting on compliance with these requirements.
Entity
Meta Platforms, Inc.
Industry
TechnologyOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-171-billion-and-groundbreaking-reforms-meta
california et al v meta platforms inc et al settlement 2026
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/settlements-agreements/california-et-al-v-meta-platforms-inc-et-al-settlement-2026.pdf
california et al v meta platforms inc et al joint motion 202
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/settlements-agreements/california-et-al-v-meta-platforms-inc-et-al-joint-motion-2026.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"social media giant Meta"
"Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion to the states."
"designed and implemented features that it knew to be harmful to children and teens"
$1.0B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a historic settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. requiring Meta to pay over $1 billion and implement significant new safeguards to protect children online. The settlement includes stricter age-assurance measures, a daily two-hour limit for teen users, default disabling of notifications during school hours, hidden likes/reactions, and a nighttime access mode restricting features for children.
$353.0M
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced a landmark $17 billion multistate settlement with Meta joined by 52 states and U.S. territories, resolving claims that Meta deceived the public about addictive design features harming youth mental health and shared Facebook users' private information with third parties before the 2016 election. Virginia is guaranteed $353 million (with an additional $11 million for the data-sharing claims, bringing its total to $364 million). Meta must implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook, including age verification, daily time limits, and 'check in breaks,' with implementation and efficacy regularly assessed by an independent auditor.
A bipartisan coalition of 33 state attorneys general, led by Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, began trial against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Facebook and Instagram that drive children and teens to use the platforms compulsively, while falsely assuring parents and the public that its platforms were safe for young users. The states also allege Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating COPPA. The trial opened before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with the states seeking monetary penalties and injunctive relief.
A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general led by New Jersey, California, Colorado, and Kentucky is taking Meta Platforms, Inc. to trial, alleging that Meta designed addictive features on Instagram and Facebook that harm minors' mental health, illegally collected data from children under 13 without the required protections under COPPA, and misled users about platform safety. Opening arguments begin August 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. No monetary penalty or final remedy has yet been imposed.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement marking the first day of trial in a multistate lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company knowingly designed addictive features on Facebook and Instagram that harm children's mental health. The coalition alleges Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating COPPA, and seeks monetary penalties, restitution, and an injunction against deceptive practices.
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced a court ruling denying Meta Platforms, Inc.'s motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit alleging Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and misled parents. The court allowed claims under COPPA and the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to proceed to trial, scheduled for August 2026.