Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced an up to $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms Inc. that his office described as among the largest state consumer protection settlements in history, according to a news release issued Wednesday.
In addition to the payment, Meta must implement safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook, according to the release. The agreement is subject to court approval. Illinois will receive up to almost $768 million.
The settlement resolves claims that the company designed its social media platforms with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental health harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things, according to the release.
“This is a monumental victory for online safety that will affect an entire generation of young people. After decades of putting profits before the health and wellness of children, this landmark settlement requires Meta to put our children’s safety and mental health at the forefront,” Raoul said in a news release.
“It is imperative that all social media apps protect our children, and I will continue working with my colleagues toward that end. This settlement sends a message that we will not hesitate to take action to protect children online. I am deeply proud of and grateful to my team for the role my office played in helping lead this case to resolution,” he said.
In October 2023, Raoul and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Meta following a multi-year nationwide investigation, according to the release. The states alleged that Meta deliberately designed its platforms to exploit young users’ vulnerabilities, foster compulsive use and maximize the time young people spend on Facebook and Instagram.
The states also alleged that Meta knew about harm to young users but deceived users, parents and the public about the risks, and that the company illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, according to the release.
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, according to the release. They include a combined two-hour daily time limit across the two platforms, with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes. Those limits remain in effect for five years. If Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube adopt comparable terms, the daily limit on each platform will drop to 60 minutes for 10 years.
Other measures include nighttime blocks restricting children’s access to content feeds and turning off notifications from midnight to 6 a.m.; the elimination of push notifications on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year; age assurance measures to verify the age of young users; and stronger content controls against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
The settlement also calls for stronger parental controls, limits on social comparison features including turning off visible “like” counts for teens, and turning off teens’ access to beauty filters that mimic cosmetic surgery or change skin tone, according to the release. An independent auditor will evaluate implementation of the injunctive relief terms for five years.
The settlement is Raoul’s latest action to hold social media platforms accountable for harm to young people, noting that in 2024 he filed a lawsuit against TikTok over its business practices targeting children, according to the release.
Joining Raoul in the settlement are the attorneys general of 50 other states, territories, and the District of Columbia, according to the release.
This article was reformatted from a news release using artificial intelligence. A Shaw Local editor verified the information, edited the article, and approved it before publication.
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