(VIRGINIA MERCURY) – Virginia is set to receive at least $353 million from Meta Platforms Inc. under a major multistate settlement that would also require the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to adopt new safeguards aimed at protecting children from addictive features and harmful content.
The agreement, announced Wednesday, could reach more than $17 billion nationwide, making it one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in U.S. history outside the Big Tobacco agreements of the 1990s. It remains subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where the case was filed.
“This is a momentous day for Virginia,” Attorney General Jay Jones said in a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday morning, adding that the changes Meta would be required to make to its social media platforms could ultimately prove more significant than the money.
“This is historic, this is a shift in how Meta and these companies are going to operate,” he said.
Jones said that Virginia plans to use the $353 million to pay for a range of initiatives, including “unplugged” programs and activities intended to combat the loneliness and social isolation associated with children’s online lives. The state also wants to support digital literacy programs that help parents better understand social media.
“We are really excited to put this money into efforts that are going to continue to help protect our kids,” Jones said, adding that he also sometimes struggles to navigate social media as a parent.
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