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The US Attorney General has announced that Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and take additional measures to protect children on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, meeting the demands of a lawsuit over social media addiction among teenagers and claims brought by 47 states, Euronews reported.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that filed lawsuits against the technology giant in 2023, but the agreements reached have resulted in the early termination of the legal proceedings.
Child safety advocates had hoped to see the company’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, testify before a jury in a federal court in California.
The settlement for Virginia alone amounts to $353 million, which Attorney General Mark Herring said was one of the largest state-level consumer protection settlements in US history.
According to Herring, the agreement will put an end to harmful practices and provide tangible protection for children from dangers they face online.