CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Virginia will receive $364 million as part of a nationwide settlement with Meta, resolving claims that the company hid the addictive design of its apps and misled the public about the risks to children, according to Attorney General Jay Jones.
The investigation began in 2021 and now resolves claims from nearly every state in the country. Meta will pay $17 billion nationwide under the settlement.
Outside of the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s, it ranks among the largest state consumer protection settlements on record. Meta is also required to roll out a set of safety features on Instagram and Facebook aimed at protecting children
“I think about myself as a parent with two young children who are four and two, so not yet in the age where they will be exposed to social media, but it’s coming. So, we want to make sure that children now and in the future are protected,” Jones said.
Under the deal, Meta must cap kids’ daily screen time at two hours, block access overnight, and turn off notifications during school hours. The company will also have to roll out stronger age checks and parental controls.
“There is a huge piece of this as well that provides for an independent monitor, and so there’s going to be a third-party set of eyes on this as well to make sure that they’re complying with these incredibly robust terms,” Jones said.
The settlement still needs approval from a federal judge in California.
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