CT could get $265M in Meta settlement, limit kids’ social media use | #childpredator | #kidsaftey | #childsaftey

HARTFORD — Connecticut could receive as much as $265.4 million under a massive multistate settlement with Meta that would also impose new limits on how children use Instagram and Facebook, Attorney General William Tong announced Wednesday.

The agreement calls for Meta to pay at least $12.19 billion over 10 years to settle allegations that the company knowingly designed its social media platforms with addictive features that harmed children and teens while misleading the public about their safety.

The settlement, which needs final judicial approval, provided some solace for Tammy Rodriguez, a Connecticut mother who sued Meta, Snap and TikTok, following the death of her 11-year-old daughter, Selena in 2021.

“Selena was exposed to many social media harms that I had no idea were going on,” Rodriguez said, adding that the dangers are “hidden” from many people. “We miss her so much. I can’t thank you enough.”

She sobbed and hugged Tong during a late morning news conference in the State Office Building Wednesday.

Tong hoped the event would honor Selena’s life.

“Federal law says you’re not supposed to be online if you’re under 13 years old,” Tong said. “Eleven and she’s gone. We’re here today because Connecticut and our country is taking a huge step forward to protect our kids by fundamentally transforming the social media industry in our country. And we’re making Meta pay.”

The settlement adds a number of restrictions for how 13- to 17-year-olds use Instagram and Facebook, including better age verification and two-hour limits — with breaks at 15 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes. Teens would not be able to use the platforms from midnight to 6 a.m. and push notifications would be shut off during school hours.

Children younger than 13 are already not allowed to have accounts.

Meta has denied allegations that it intentionally harmed young users and the settlement does not amount to an admission of wrongdoing. The agreement cuts short a closely watched federal trial in California over claims that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to encourage compulsive use among children and teens.

The Associated Press reported that Meta, in a blog post said the added protections are “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens. Meta urged TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safety measures.

“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company’s blog post read, according to the AP. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.” 

Tong warned that TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube may become future legal targets for the 51 states, territories and the District of Columbia that joined together in the historic settlement. Florida, New Mexico and Texas were the only states not listed in the release from Tong’s office.

Neither YouTube owner Google nor TikTok immediately responded to requests for comments. Snap could not be reached for comment.

Tong thanked his team of lawyers, the state legislature and Gov. Ned Lamont, who signed a law this year limiting the hours that Connecticut children can use social media.

Connecticut lawmakers have separately approved restrictions on social media use by minors that are scheduled to impose additional requirements on platforms. Among other provisions, the state law restricts addictive algorithms and notifications without parental consent and sets default limits on nighttime notifications.

Meta’s total settlement could grow to about $17.1 billion if TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat agree to comparable safety requirements and their own financial settlements with states, according to Tong’s office. The settlement still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in California.

Connecticut could receive up to $265.4 million of the Meta settlement. At least half of the state’s money would have to be spent addressing harms associated with youth social media use, including mental health and crisis intervention, after-school and summer programs and phone-free school initiatives.

“They never have peace,” said Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association teachers’ union, describing the social media landscape that children face today. “The social media predator practices actually have consequences. Our children as individuals cannot defend themselves from these multi-billion-dollar, trillion-dollar corporations that prey on their vulnerabilities. We as a community, cannot allow that to continue to happen.”

The agreement would also force some of the most significant changes yet to the way Instagram and Facebook operate for children.

Meta would be required to use stronger age-verification measures, expand parental controls and give parents the ability to turn off algorithmic feeds and autoplay. The agreement calls for additional restrictions on beauty filters, visible “like” counts and content involving bullying, eating disorders, suicide and self-harm.

If TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat ultimately accept comparable settlement terms, the limit would become one hour per platform and remain in place for 10 years, according to Tong’s office. The current settlement sets a combined two-hour limit for Instagram and Facebook. 

“This addiction is pervasive, not just for children, but for adults, all of us,” Tong said of the addictive tactics of the platforms. “It is real and it is harmful.”

He said the social media platforms have essentially “strip mined the souls of America’s children for money. They’ve learned to make money off of everything our kids love, care about, the things that they are interested in, that they’re passionate about and took advantage of their fragility and their innocence.” 

The litigation grew out of a nationwide investigation that began in 2021. Connecticut and dozens of other states later accused Meta of knowing that some Instagram and Facebook features could harm young users while continuing to deploy them.

State Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, a legislative leader in recent years on social media and artificial intelligence, offered some sober statistics.

“We live in a time when one in four teenage girls has had a major depressive episode in the last year,” he said. “One in five college students suffers from anxiety. Death by suicide is the leading cause of death for people ages from 10 to 24. What are we doing? This is just the start. We’ll be looking at stronger protections going forward.”

The settlement also resolves a separate Connecticut-led investigation involving Meta’s sharing of Facebook user information with outside companies, including Cambridge Analytica before the 2016 election.