JACKSON, Tenn. (WBBJ) – Millions and millions of dollars. That’s what Tennessee is set to receive after taking on tech giant Meta over claims that some social media apps were hurting kids.
Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, just settled a nationwide lawsuit valued at up to $18 billion. This lawsuit covers 47 states, Washington, D.C., and several U.S. Territories. Tennessee was one of the states awarded damages and will receive more than $751 million, which will be added to Tennessee’s new Children’s Digital Protection Fund.
“This settlement is a product of years of work by many dedicated people and all of Tennessee should be proud,” said Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.
The claims include that Meta built addictive features into Instagram, exposed kids to serious mental health harms, and downplayed how safe its platforms actually were. However, the bigger impact may be what is going to change on the apps.
Kids under 18 will be limited to two combined hours a day on Instagram and Facebook, with required breaks after 15 minutes, then again at the 60 and 90 minute marks. The apps will also shut down overnight, from 12 p.m. to 6 a.m., and notifications will be turned off on school days between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
As for parents, there are going to be new controls. One option is to turn on a chronological feed instead of an algorithm-driven one. There will also be the ability to hide “like” counts and beauty filters.
As for Tennessee, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says this is just the beginning and the pressure does not stop with Meta.
“This should be a wake up call to all of big tech. The rest of the industry needs to catch up to Meta and we’re going to make sure they do,” said Attorney General Skrmetti.
However, for now the changes apply only to Meta. Those new limits for Meta are locked in for five years but there’s an incentive built in. If Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube agree to similar rules, the daily cap drops even further, down to just 60 minutes per app, for a full 10 years.
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