Pennsylvania is expected to receive $516 million, and possibly up to $729 million, from a settlement with Meta, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office.
A multistate coalition helped reach the $17.1 billion settlement, as Meta faces a civil trial in California over allegedly failing to protect young users.
“The days of Meta ignoring the damage its platforms cause kids are over — this is a landmark settlement that brings transformative changes to these hugely popular social media spaces,” Sunday said. “These settlement terms will implement effective age restrictions, put a stop to endless scrolling, and limit body-altering filters that skew students’ feelings of self-worth. We commend Meta for finally choosing this path of protecting kids, but our battle does not end here; we remain engaged with other social media and big tech companies to make changes, and we will not stand down.”
Sunday’s office says the settlement calls for Meta to make these changes:
- A combined two-hour daily limit and 15-minute “productive pauses” for kids on Instagram and Facebook
- “Nighttime blocks” on kids’ access between midnight and 6 a.m.
- Limited school-time access on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Bolstered age verification measures
- Improved content controls and safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm
- Limits on beauty filters and visible “like” counts
- Regular independent auditing of these features
The total $17.1 billion in national remediation payments is contingent on other social media companies agreeing to the same changes, and terms are subject to court approval.
Click here to see the settlement.
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