Texas will get more than $1 billion from technology giant Meta as part of a new settlement related to children’s online safety, the attorney general’s office announced Wednesday.
The company, which owns social media companies Facebook and Instagram, agreed to also pay California and several other states a collective $17 billion on Wednesday as part of an agreement in a separate lawsuit over the same issue. As part of both settlements, Meta will have to institute a slew of safety measures intended to protect children online as part of the agreement.
“This is a historic settlement and a major win for the safety of Texas children,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “Not only will Meta pay over $1 billion to Texas, but the company will also implement significant new safety features to better protect children’s precious minds and well-being on its platforms.”
The company agreed to implement stricter age limits, including a two-hour usage limit for teens and automatically disabled notifications during school hours, according to the attorney general’s office. Likes and reactions will also be hidden by default for underage users, and the company will need to institute a “nighttime access mode” that restricts certain features for children.
The funds from the settlement will go toward youth programs such as “mental health services, crisis resources, digital literacy initiatives, after-school programs, and grants for Texas schools,” according to the office.
Texas is also part of a lawsuit against social media platform TikTok that accuses the company of harming children’s mental health that is set to go to trial this year, and Paxton’s office has previously acquired settlements against Google and Meta for alleged privacy violations.
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