Ohio is expected to receive more than $319 million of an historic $17 billion multistate settlement deal struck with MetaPlatforms over claims that the social media giant designed its apps to keep young users engaged and hooked.
The payout will come over the next decade, according to Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson.
"With this historic settlement, Meta agrees to establish meaningful protections for young users," Wilson said in a written statement. "Digital platforms that cater to children have a duty to shield impressionable minds from the risks of unchecked exposure to social media."
Meta agreed to pay a maximum $16.68 billion to resolve claims brought
by states that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children, misled consumers about their safety, and improperly collected personal data of children who used its platforms, court papers show.
The settlement was reached during a California federal trial over claims brought by 29 states, averting one of the highest-profile tests yet of allegations that social media companies harmed young users.
Meta also agreed to make changes for teenage users of Facebook and Instagram nationwide, including daily usage limits and nighttime blocks, court papers show.
The California-based company denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.
The claims were part of a broader wave of litigation brought by states, local governments, school districts and individuals alleging Meta and other social media companies fueled a nationwide youth mental health crisis.
The federal trial covered claims from 29 states that Meta violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data from users it knew were children without parental notification or consent, and using the data to train machine learning and generative AI models.
Meta has denied the allegations, saying it has worked hard to protect children on its platforms. The company had argued it could not have misled consumers about whether its services were addictive because "social media addiction" is not a recognized psychiatric condition.
In a filing before the trial, Meta said California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties. The states suggested before the trial began that the figure would be closer to $200 billion. The states were also seeking additional monetary damages, plus an order directing Meta to make major changes to its platforms and to bar children from creating accounts.
Meta, Snapchat and its parent Snap, YouTube and its parent Alphabet, and TikTok and its parent ByteDance still face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts over claims they knowingly designed their platforms to have features that are addictive to children and teens, fueling a mental health crisis.
The federal cases were consolidated before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, and include lawsuits brought by individuals, school districts and state governments.
Thousands more cases against the companies are pending in state courts.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio to get $319M in Meta settlement over youth addiction claims
