(The Center Square) – Child-safety measures for children and $645 million from a $17.1 billion settlement are coming to North Carolina from Meta, owner of the Facebook and Instagram platforms.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg was spared a spot on the stand to tell jurors his side in a California federal court. Thirty-two states sued in October 2023; North Carolina was among them represented by Josh Stein, then the attorney general and now the governor.
All totaled since, various claims are resolved for 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The settlement is the second largest for consumer protection in state history. For Meta, the total amount is 8.5% of its $201 billion in 2025 revenue.
State consumer protection laws were violated “by designing Instagram and Facebook to increase the amount of time children spent using them while publicly downplaying risks to younger users,” first-term Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson said.
Pending federal court approval of the settlement, Meta will have to determine if users are ages 13-17. Then, the protections include a daily time limit; nighttime block; no school hour notifications; scrolling pauses; and no more counts for likes and reactions.
“We know that this company built these apps to keep kids hooked and misled parents about what was happening,” Jackson said. “Today, Meta has to change those features and hand parents the controls.”
Meta also collected personal information from children under 13 years old without required parental consent, Jackson said, violating the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Jackson said Meta’s researchers identified features “that hooked children into coming back to the apps; Instagram interrupted teens’ sleep and learning; Instagram could lead children toward more harmful content; Meta’s own research raised concerns about like counts and appearance comparison; employees raised concerns about face-altering filters; Meta knew millions of children under age 13 were using Instagram”; and that the conduct impacted an estimated 22 million teens daily.
“I heard the same request in every region of North Carolina: our young people need more mental health support,” said first-year Democratic state Superintendent Mo Green. “Educators said it. Parents said it. Students said it themselves. Our Youth Risk Behavior Survey confirms it, showing disturbing numbers of students experiencing persistent sadness and hopelessness, or seriously considering suicide.”
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