Arizona will receive about $223 million as part of a massive settlement of a case that alleged Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, targeted young people with addictive features and knowingly exposed them to serious mental health risks.
The state's share is part of a $17.1 billion agreement with Meta Platforms, the largest settlement ever against a big tech company. Meta will also implement changes to Facebook and Instagram designed to make them safer for children.
Those safety measures could upend how many young people engage with social media.
The changes include implementing daily time limits of 2 hours of use with mandatory pauses at certain intervals to interrupt nonstop scrolling. There are also a range of improvements to combat
bullying, strengthen parent controls and limit features that promote comparisons, like beauty filters and counts of "likes."
"This settlement marks a sea change in the way we regulate the use of social media platforms by young people,” Mayes said in a statement.
She added: "Our kids’ mental health and well being will always be more important than a tech company’s bottom line."
Mayes joined 28 other states that sued the social media giant, which owns Facebook and Instagram, in October 2023. The high-stakes trial began Aug. 18 in Meta's home state, California, about a week before the settlement was announced.
The settlement resolves a broader universe of claims brought by 48 states and several U.S. territories.
Meta has denied wrongdoing, and its lobbyists have gone to Congress seeking immunity from cases alleging it harmed children.
Mayes has compared the case to the massive settlements in the 1990s with tobacco manufacturers following claims the companies misled the public about the health risks of smoking.
The newly announced settlement is the latest domino to fall for Meta, which has faced a flood of lawsuits from families and states alleging its platforms are addictive and harm children's mental health. Similar lawsuits have been brought against Google, TikTok and other social media companies.
But there were two bellwethers for Meta ahead of the Aug. 26 settlement. A jury in New Mexico in March found the social media giant liable in a similar case arguing the platforms endangered children. It was the first time a state had won at trial against a major tech company for its impacts to youth health and safety, and Meta has been ordered to pay $942 million in fines as a result.
And a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Alphabet, the parent company of Google, negligent in a $6 million verdict in March.
This is a developing story. Return to azcentral.com for updates.
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Meta to pay Arizona $223M and change social media for kids
