Ohio stands to receive more than $319 million over the next decade as part of a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
The proposed agreement also requires Meta to implement new safety measures for children and teens, including time limits and expanded parental controls on Facebook and Instagram.
Dozens of states filed suit against Meta in 2023, alleging the social media giant failed to adequately protect children using its platforms and knowingly designed features to keep young users engaged and addicted.
The lawsuits alleged Meta’s platforms contributed to mental health harms among children and teens by using features designed to keep young users engaged.
The settlement cut short a landmark federal trial underway in Oakland involving attorneys general from California, Kentucky, Colorado and New Jersey. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was expected to take the stand during the jury trial.
A court still must approve the settlement.
“Digital platforms that cater to children have a duty to shield impressionable minds from the risks of unchecked exposure to social media,” Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said in a released statement. He also acknowledged the issue of online safety for children extends beyond one company.
Meta for its part has urged rivals TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safety measures.
Here’s a breakdown of the safety measures agreed to in the settlement, provided by the office of the Ohio Attorney General:
- Hard cap daily time limits and “Productive Pauses” for children: For its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling.
- “Nighttime blocks” restricting children’s access from 12-6 a.m.
- Push notification elimination on weekdays from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. during the school year.
- Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
- Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying and content that may promote harmful behavior such as eating disorders, suicide and self-harm.
- Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
- Disabling social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible “like” counts, which have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
