Meta Multistate Settlement Over Alleged Harm to Young Users

What happened

Meta allegedly deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to young users, prioritizing engagement and revenue over children's mental health and privacy. Meta is also accused of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting and using personal data of residents under 13 without parental notification or consent, and using that data to train machine learning and generative AI models. Meta denied all claims.

Do you qualify?

This is not a consumer class settlement; it is a government enforcement settlement. No individual consumers file claims. The settlement resolves allegations brought by 52 state attorneys general, territories, and the District of Columbia against Meta. The states alleged harm to young users of Facebook and Instagram during an unspecified time period.

What the settlement pays

Payments to participating states and territories annually over 10 years, based on their populations. No direct consumer payout.

Paid from a $17.1B settlement fund. Individual amounts depend on how many valid claims are filed.

How to file

This settlement does not create a direct consumer claim process. The settlement money is paid to participating state and territorial governments, which will distribute funds annually over 10 years based on population. Individual consumers do not file claims. The settlement also requires Meta to implement new restrictions for minors, including mandatory time limits, overnight access blocks, and muted school-hour notifications.