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Acting Alaska A.G. Mills Announces Largest Big Tech Settlement in History
JUNEAU, Alaska, Aug. 27 -- The Alaska Department of Law issued the following news release on Aug. 26, 2026:
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Acting Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills Announces Largest Big Tech Settlement in History
Meta to Pay Up to $17 Billion and Implement Sweeping Child-Safety Reforms on Instagram and Facebook
August 26, 2026
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(Anchorage, AK) - Today, Attorney General Mills announced a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.--one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. In addition to the payment, ... Show Full Article JUNEAU, Alaska, Aug. 27 -- The Alaska Department of Law issued the following news release on Aug. 26, 2026: * * * Acting Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills Announces Largest Big Tech Settlement in History Meta to Pay Up to $17 Billion and Implement Sweeping Child-Safety Reforms on Instagram and Facebook August 26, 2026 - (Anchorage, AK) - Today, Attorney General Mills announced a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.--one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. In addition to the payment,Meta must implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook. The agreement resolves claims by 47 States and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things. This settlement is a monumental victory for the protection of America's children and will fundamentally transform how the entire social media industry designs products for kids and teens. Under the settlement, Alaska will receive around $16 million.
"This settlement was a necessary and imperative step to protect our children," said Alaska State Governor Mike Dunleavy. "Social media promised us connection and the ability to productively engage with each other in life's joyful and mundane moments. What social media gave us was a generation of children scarred by bullying, harassment, doom-scrolling and predation. This is a good first step towards protecting our children from online dangers, and I hope we see more actions like this in the future."
The Department of Law Consumer Protection Unit represented Alaska's interests in the settlement. Their work helped reach a settlement that included safety features as well as financial restitution.
"As a mom of two, I can't tell you what a relief this settlement brings to me knowing there will be better safeguards on Meta's platform to keep teens healthy and positively engaged," said Acting Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills. "As Attorney General, I am incredibly proud of all the work our consumer protection team brings to Alaskans on these and many other issues. Regardless of political party, attorneys general across the United States have consumer protection teams communicating and working together to tackle some of the largest and most important issues faced by consumers, and it is only through that collaboration that settlements like this are possible. This truly is a historic moment, and I am hopeful it sets the precedent for social media platforms going forward."
Attorney General Mills also acknowledged that this problem extends well beyond one company and credited Meta for being the first major platform to reach a comprehensive resolution on youth safety.
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including:
Hard cap daily time limits and "Productive Pauses" for children: for its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. These 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.
* "Nighttime blocks" restricting children's access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
* Limited school-time access for children, eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the school year.
* Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
* Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible "like" counts, that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
* Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states.
These are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook and more significant and comprehensive than previously ordered by any court. And perhaps most importantly, this settlement represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
Beginning in 2021, nearly every attorney general in the country cooperated to investigate the social media industry for designing and promoting platforms to children and teens despite known harms. After a bipartisan, nationwide investigation found that Meta designed Instagram's features to addict children while internally documenting the resulting mental health harms and failing to warn parents, attorneys general across the country sued Meta individually or as part of a consolidated federal lawsuit. This settlement resolves those cases and claims by the other settling states and territories. The settlement also resolves the states' claims against Meta for its sharing of nonpublic information about Facebook users with third parties, like Cambridge Analytica, leading up to the 2016 election.
"Social media has become a near-constant part of teenagers' lives, and their mental health has declined as they struggle under constant social comparison," said Assistant Attorney General Helen Mendolia. "This settlement equips parents to limit how Facebook and Instagram disrupt the school day and their kids' sleep, creating safeguards that encourage teenagers to put down their phones and reengage with the world around them."
The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the settlement.
The State encourages any person who believes they were subjected to unfair or deceptive business practices to submit a complaint to the Consumer Protection Unit.
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Original text here: https://law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2026/082626-BigTech.html
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Acting Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills Announces Largest Big Tech Settlement in History
Meta to Pay Up to $17 Billion and Implement Sweeping Child-Safety Reforms on Instagram and Facebook
August 26, 2026
-
(Anchorage, AK) - Today, Attorney General Mills announced a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.--one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. In addition to the payment, ... Show Full Article JUNEAU, Alaska, Aug. 27 -- The Alaska Department of Law issued the following news release on Aug. 26, 2026: * * * Acting Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills Announces Largest Big Tech Settlement in History Meta to Pay Up to $17 Billion and Implement Sweeping Child-Safety Reforms on Instagram and Facebook August 26, 2026 - (Anchorage, AK) - Today, Attorney General Mills announced a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.--one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. In addition to the payment,Meta must implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook. The agreement resolves claims by 47 States and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things. This settlement is a monumental victory for the protection of America's children and will fundamentally transform how the entire social media industry designs products for kids and teens. Under the settlement, Alaska will receive around $16 million.
"This settlement was a necessary and imperative step to protect our children," said Alaska State Governor Mike Dunleavy. "Social media promised us connection and the ability to productively engage with each other in life's joyful and mundane moments. What social media gave us was a generation of children scarred by bullying, harassment, doom-scrolling and predation. This is a good first step towards protecting our children from online dangers, and I hope we see more actions like this in the future."
The Department of Law Consumer Protection Unit represented Alaska's interests in the settlement. Their work helped reach a settlement that included safety features as well as financial restitution.
"As a mom of two, I can't tell you what a relief this settlement brings to me knowing there will be better safeguards on Meta's platform to keep teens healthy and positively engaged," said Acting Alaska Attorney General Cori Mills. "As Attorney General, I am incredibly proud of all the work our consumer protection team brings to Alaskans on these and many other issues. Regardless of political party, attorneys general across the United States have consumer protection teams communicating and working together to tackle some of the largest and most important issues faced by consumers, and it is only through that collaboration that settlements like this are possible. This truly is a historic moment, and I am hopeful it sets the precedent for social media platforms going forward."
Attorney General Mills also acknowledged that this problem extends well beyond one company and credited Meta for being the first major platform to reach a comprehensive resolution on youth safety.
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including:
Hard cap daily time limits and "Productive Pauses" for children: for its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. These 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.
* "Nighttime blocks" restricting children's access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
* Limited school-time access for children, eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the school year.
* Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
* Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible "like" counts, that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
* Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states.
These are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook and more significant and comprehensive than previously ordered by any court. And perhaps most importantly, this settlement represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
Beginning in 2021, nearly every attorney general in the country cooperated to investigate the social media industry for designing and promoting platforms to children and teens despite known harms. After a bipartisan, nationwide investigation found that Meta designed Instagram's features to addict children while internally documenting the resulting mental health harms and failing to warn parents, attorneys general across the country sued Meta individually or as part of a consolidated federal lawsuit. This settlement resolves those cases and claims by the other settling states and territories. The settlement also resolves the states' claims against Meta for its sharing of nonpublic information about Facebook users with third parties, like Cambridge Analytica, leading up to the 2016 election.
"Social media has become a near-constant part of teenagers' lives, and their mental health has declined as they struggle under constant social comparison," said Assistant Attorney General Helen Mendolia. "This settlement equips parents to limit how Facebook and Instagram disrupt the school day and their kids' sleep, creating safeguards that encourage teenagers to put down their phones and reengage with the world around them."
The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the settlement.
The State encourages any person who believes they were subjected to unfair or deceptive business practices to submit a complaint to the Consumer Protection Unit.
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Original text here: https://law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2026/082626-BigTech.html
Attorney General James Secures Up to $17.1 Billion and Groundbreaking Reforms from Meta to Protect Children on Social Media
ALBANY, New York, Aug. 26 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release:
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Attorney General James Secures Up to $17.1 Billion and Groundbreaking Reforms from Meta to Protect Children on Social Media
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NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general today secured up to $17.1 billion from social media giant Meta, along with transformative changes to Facebook and Instagram to stop addictive and harmful social media use among young people. In 2023, Attorney General James and a coalition of 32 other attorneys ... Show Full Article ALBANY, New York, Aug. 26 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General James Secures Up to $17.1 Billion and Groundbreaking Reforms from Meta to Protect Children on Social Media * NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general today secured up to $17.1 billion from social media giant Meta, along with transformative changes to Facebook and Instagram to stop addictive and harmful social media use among young people. In 2023, Attorney General James and a coalition of 32 other attorneysgeneral sued Meta for designing and implementing features that it knew to be harmful to children and teens in order to maximize their time on its social media platforms. Under a landmark settlement with Attorney General James and the coalition, subject to court approval, Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion to the states. This is the largest settlement reached with a single company in the history of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The funds are intended to support mental health services, education programs, and other efforts to repair and reduce the harm caused by unhealthy social media use among young people.
Meta must also take steps to verify the ages of its users and restrict the time minors can spend on its platforms to a maximum of two hours per day. In addition, Meta will restrict minors from accessing its platforms at night and prevent notifications from being sent to minors during school hours and in the evening. Children and their parents will have the option to opt out of addictive algorithmic feeds, and Meta will implement other features to prevent unhealthy social media use. The settlement establishes a transformative framework for repairing the harms of addictive social media and will enact stricter restrictions if other social media companies reach similar settlements in future cases, such as Attorney General James' ongoing lawsuit against TikTok.
"Children in New York and nationwide are suffering while companies like Meta reap immense profits by intentionally addicting them to their social media platforms," said Attorney General James. "We cannot allow social media companies to continue fueling the growing rates of low self-esteem, isolation, and depression among our youth. With significant new resources for our communities and comprehensive restrictions on Meta's platforms for young people, we are taking a major step towards breaking the cycle of social media addiction. This groundbreaking plan sets a standard of reforms for all social media platforms, and I will continue to work to extend these protections across the industry."
In October 2023, Attorney General James and 32 other attorneys general sued Meta for building its social media business by intentionally exploiting young people with features that its employees and executives knew to be addictive and harmful. The lawsuit alleged that Meta designed algorithms meant to recommend content that would keep users on its platform for as long as possible and deployed features like "infinite scroll" and incessant notifications to make it harder for young users to disengage. The lawsuit also alleged that Meta's social media platforms can have disastrous effects on young people's mental health by steering young people towards dangerous content, including posts promoting eating disorders and self-harm. Meta then deceptively claimed that its features were not manipulative and that its platforms were safe, causing further damage.
Payments to States
Meta will pay at least $12.1 billion to the coalition states. If other major social media companies reach similar settlements with states, this amount will increase to $17.1 billion. New York will receive at least $819 million and up to $1.15 billion. The funds are intended for a variety of educational and mental health services for young people to repair the harms of unhealthy social media use and prevent future damage. Initiatives that could receive funds include grants to schools to implement phone-free classrooms, training for mental health professionals to serve students, after-school or summer programming for young people, and public health programs.
Changes to Meta Platforms
To help alleviate the youth mental health crisis fueled by its social media platforms, Meta will make significant changes to limit the time that users under the age of 18 can spend on its platforms, the content they see, and the addictive features to which they are exposed. Meta will take steps to verify the ages of its users to identify those under 18, using a process similar to New York's nation-leading Safe for Kids Act, which was advanced by Attorney General James and signed into law by Governor Hochul in 2024. The settlement builds on the Safe for Kids Act's requirements to provide even stronger protection for New York children online.
Meta will also impose strict time limits on all users under 18, limiting them to two hours of time per day across Facebook and Instagram, with exceptions for messaging features. Users under 18 will also not be able to access these platforms between midnight and 6 a.m. or receive push notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. In addition, Meta will limit notifications during school hours. To encourage young people to break the cycle of endless scrolling and take breaks, Meta will pause content and send mindfulness reminders to users under 18 after 60 and 90 minutes of cumulative use every day, and send reminders during any session of continuous use that lasts longer than 15 minutes.
Meta must also take a variety of steps to prevent minors from being shown inappropriate and unhealthy content on its platforms. Users under 18 will be given the option to select non-algorithmic feeds, showing content only from accounts that the user has followed in chronological order. Parents will have the ability to enable a non-algorithmic feed as the default for their children if they are using Meta's Parental Supervision feature. In addition, young users will be barred from seeing "likes" and other reactions on posts and will have in-app tools to report inappropriate, offensive, unwanted, or illegal content.
Users must have a parent's explicit permission to disable these time and content restrictions. The restrictions will last at least five years on Meta's platforms and will strengthen if other major social media platforms reach similar settlements with states. A second phase of stricter limits lasting ten years will also apply if these other platforms reach settlements. This phase will restrict night access from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and disable all push notifications. It will also limit users under 18 to 60 minutes on each Meta platform per day.
Meta must also continue to improve its existing content restrictions and account limits that prevent young users from encountering inappropriate content. These existing features include:
* Content policies designed to help limit teens' exposure to age-inappropriate content;
* A ban on cosmetic filters for users under 18, including filters that change skin tones;
* Content policies that prevent targeting teen users with bullying or harassing content;
* Policies to give parents the ability to impose more restrictive content settings on their supervised children's accounts;
* Restrictions that prevent teen users from friending or following age-inappropriate accounts and not recommending these accounts to teen users; and
* Settings that default teen users into private accounts on Instagram and appropriate privacy settings on Facebook.
Joining Attorney General James in securing this settlement are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Attorney General James is a leader in holding social media companies accountable for the impact of their platforms. In July 2026, Attorney General James announced the final rules for the SAFE for Kids Act designed to protect children from the harms of social media addiction. In March 2026, Attorney General James joined a bipartisan coalition opposing federal legislation that would weaken state protections for children online. In February 2026, Attorney General James urged Congress to pass the Senate's Kids Online Safety Act. In October 2025, Attorney General James announced social media companies had to start reporting their content moderation policies to combat hate. In October 2024, Attorney General James sued TikTok for harming children's mental health.
For New York, this matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Nathaniel Kosslyn and Masha Heifetz and Senior Enforcement Counsel Jordan Adler of the Bureau of Internet and Technology, which is led by Bureau Chief Kim Berger and Deputy Bureau Chief Clark Russell, along with Special Counsel Cristy Phillips of the Division of Economic Justice, and Assistant Attorney General Alex Finkelstein and former Senior Enforcement Counsel Kevin Wallace of the Executive Division. The Bureau of Internet and Technology is a part of the Division of Economic Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D'Angelo and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux.
***
Original text here: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-171-billion-and-groundbreaking-reforms-meta
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Attorney General James Secures Up to $17.1 Billion and Groundbreaking Reforms from Meta to Protect Children on Social Media
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NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general today secured up to $17.1 billion from social media giant Meta, along with transformative changes to Facebook and Instagram to stop addictive and harmful social media use among young people. In 2023, Attorney General James and a coalition of 32 other attorneys ... Show Full Article ALBANY, New York, Aug. 26 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General James Secures Up to $17.1 Billion and Groundbreaking Reforms from Meta to Protect Children on Social Media * NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general today secured up to $17.1 billion from social media giant Meta, along with transformative changes to Facebook and Instagram to stop addictive and harmful social media use among young people. In 2023, Attorney General James and a coalition of 32 other attorneysgeneral sued Meta for designing and implementing features that it knew to be harmful to children and teens in order to maximize their time on its social media platforms. Under a landmark settlement with Attorney General James and the coalition, subject to court approval, Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion to the states. This is the largest settlement reached with a single company in the history of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The funds are intended to support mental health services, education programs, and other efforts to repair and reduce the harm caused by unhealthy social media use among young people.
Meta must also take steps to verify the ages of its users and restrict the time minors can spend on its platforms to a maximum of two hours per day. In addition, Meta will restrict minors from accessing its platforms at night and prevent notifications from being sent to minors during school hours and in the evening. Children and their parents will have the option to opt out of addictive algorithmic feeds, and Meta will implement other features to prevent unhealthy social media use. The settlement establishes a transformative framework for repairing the harms of addictive social media and will enact stricter restrictions if other social media companies reach similar settlements in future cases, such as Attorney General James' ongoing lawsuit against TikTok.
"Children in New York and nationwide are suffering while companies like Meta reap immense profits by intentionally addicting them to their social media platforms," said Attorney General James. "We cannot allow social media companies to continue fueling the growing rates of low self-esteem, isolation, and depression among our youth. With significant new resources for our communities and comprehensive restrictions on Meta's platforms for young people, we are taking a major step towards breaking the cycle of social media addiction. This groundbreaking plan sets a standard of reforms for all social media platforms, and I will continue to work to extend these protections across the industry."
In October 2023, Attorney General James and 32 other attorneys general sued Meta for building its social media business by intentionally exploiting young people with features that its employees and executives knew to be addictive and harmful. The lawsuit alleged that Meta designed algorithms meant to recommend content that would keep users on its platform for as long as possible and deployed features like "infinite scroll" and incessant notifications to make it harder for young users to disengage. The lawsuit also alleged that Meta's social media platforms can have disastrous effects on young people's mental health by steering young people towards dangerous content, including posts promoting eating disorders and self-harm. Meta then deceptively claimed that its features were not manipulative and that its platforms were safe, causing further damage.
Payments to States
Meta will pay at least $12.1 billion to the coalition states. If other major social media companies reach similar settlements with states, this amount will increase to $17.1 billion. New York will receive at least $819 million and up to $1.15 billion. The funds are intended for a variety of educational and mental health services for young people to repair the harms of unhealthy social media use and prevent future damage. Initiatives that could receive funds include grants to schools to implement phone-free classrooms, training for mental health professionals to serve students, after-school or summer programming for young people, and public health programs.
Changes to Meta Platforms
To help alleviate the youth mental health crisis fueled by its social media platforms, Meta will make significant changes to limit the time that users under the age of 18 can spend on its platforms, the content they see, and the addictive features to which they are exposed. Meta will take steps to verify the ages of its users to identify those under 18, using a process similar to New York's nation-leading Safe for Kids Act, which was advanced by Attorney General James and signed into law by Governor Hochul in 2024. The settlement builds on the Safe for Kids Act's requirements to provide even stronger protection for New York children online.
Meta will also impose strict time limits on all users under 18, limiting them to two hours of time per day across Facebook and Instagram, with exceptions for messaging features. Users under 18 will also not be able to access these platforms between midnight and 6 a.m. or receive push notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. In addition, Meta will limit notifications during school hours. To encourage young people to break the cycle of endless scrolling and take breaks, Meta will pause content and send mindfulness reminders to users under 18 after 60 and 90 minutes of cumulative use every day, and send reminders during any session of continuous use that lasts longer than 15 minutes.
Meta must also take a variety of steps to prevent minors from being shown inappropriate and unhealthy content on its platforms. Users under 18 will be given the option to select non-algorithmic feeds, showing content only from accounts that the user has followed in chronological order. Parents will have the ability to enable a non-algorithmic feed as the default for their children if they are using Meta's Parental Supervision feature. In addition, young users will be barred from seeing "likes" and other reactions on posts and will have in-app tools to report inappropriate, offensive, unwanted, or illegal content.
Users must have a parent's explicit permission to disable these time and content restrictions. The restrictions will last at least five years on Meta's platforms and will strengthen if other major social media platforms reach similar settlements with states. A second phase of stricter limits lasting ten years will also apply if these other platforms reach settlements. This phase will restrict night access from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and disable all push notifications. It will also limit users under 18 to 60 minutes on each Meta platform per day.
Meta must also continue to improve its existing content restrictions and account limits that prevent young users from encountering inappropriate content. These existing features include:
* Content policies designed to help limit teens' exposure to age-inappropriate content;
* A ban on cosmetic filters for users under 18, including filters that change skin tones;
* Content policies that prevent targeting teen users with bullying or harassing content;
* Policies to give parents the ability to impose more restrictive content settings on their supervised children's accounts;
* Restrictions that prevent teen users from friending or following age-inappropriate accounts and not recommending these accounts to teen users; and
* Settings that default teen users into private accounts on Instagram and appropriate privacy settings on Facebook.
Joining Attorney General James in securing this settlement are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Attorney General James is a leader in holding social media companies accountable for the impact of their platforms. In July 2026, Attorney General James announced the final rules for the SAFE for Kids Act designed to protect children from the harms of social media addiction. In March 2026, Attorney General James joined a bipartisan coalition opposing federal legislation that would weaken state protections for children online. In February 2026, Attorney General James urged Congress to pass the Senate's Kids Online Safety Act. In October 2025, Attorney General James announced social media companies had to start reporting their content moderation policies to combat hate. In October 2024, Attorney General James sued TikTok for harming children's mental health.
For New York, this matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Nathaniel Kosslyn and Masha Heifetz and Senior Enforcement Counsel Jordan Adler of the Bureau of Internet and Technology, which is led by Bureau Chief Kim Berger and Deputy Bureau Chief Clark Russell, along with Special Counsel Cristy Phillips of the Division of Economic Justice, and Assistant Attorney General Alex Finkelstein and former Senior Enforcement Counsel Kevin Wallace of the Executive Division. The Bureau of Internet and Technology is a part of the Division of Economic Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D'Angelo and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux.
***
Original text here: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-171-billion-and-groundbreaking-reforms-meta
Attorney General Dan Rayfield Announces Landmark Settlement Forcing Meta to Redesign Instagram and Facebook to Protect Kids
SALEM, Oregon, Aug. 26 -- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield issued the following news release:
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Attorney General Dan Rayfield Announces Landmark Settlement Forcing Meta to Redesign Instagram and Facebook to Protect Kids
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#Historic multistate agreement also delivers more than $125 million to Oregon
For years, Meta built Instagram and Facebook to keep kids scrolling and knew what that was doing to their mental health, while telling parents and the public something different. Today, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that is changing, with a landmark settlement that requires ... Show Full Article SALEM, Oregon, Aug. 26 -- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Dan Rayfield Announces Landmark Settlement Forcing Meta to Redesign Instagram and Facebook to Protect Kids * #Historic multistate agreement also delivers more than $125 million to Oregon For years, Meta built Instagram and Facebook to keep kids scrolling and knew what that was doing to their mental health, while telling parents and the public something different. Today, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that is changing, with a landmark settlement that requiresMeta to rebuild core parts of Instagram and Facebook around the safety of young users.
"Kids are not a business model. For too long, Meta chose profit over the wellbeing of the young people using its platforms, and Oregon families paid the price," said Attorney General Rayfield. "This settlement changes that - not just with a record payment, but with real, independently verified changes to how these platforms work for kids."
Under the settlement (which includes 47 states, D.C. and American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and N. Mariana Islands,) Meta must put real, enforceable limits into the products themselves, including:
* A combined two-hour daily time limit across Instagram and Facebook for kids, with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes - in place for five years. If Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube adopt similar limits, the cap on each platform drops to 60 minutes for 10 years.
* "Nighttime blocks" cutting off kids' access from midnight to 6 a.m.
* No push notifications for kids on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year.
* Stronger, more effective age verification.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying and content promoting eating disorders, suicide, and self-harm.
* More user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on features like beauty filters and visible "like" counts, which have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
An independent auditor, along with the settling states, will regularly check both that Meta actually puts these changes in place and that they're working as intended.
The settlement also resolves claims that Meta unlawfully shared Facebook users' nonpublic information with third parties, including the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
These are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook and more significant and comprehensive than previously ordered by any court. And perhaps most importantly, this settlement represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
Financially, the agreement is one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in U.S. history, outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. States are guaranteed a combined $17.1 billion, with Oregon's share totaling more than $125 million over 10 years. A separate contingency payment of up to $5.7 billion becomes available if the states reach similar resolutions with other social media companies, which would bring Oregon an additional $54 million. Oregon will also receive more than $10.1 million from the related settlement of the Cambridge Analytica claims.
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Original text here: https://www.doj.state.or.us/media-home/news-media-releases/ag-rayfield-announces-landmark-settlement-with-meta-to-protect-kids/
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Attorney General Dan Rayfield Announces Landmark Settlement Forcing Meta to Redesign Instagram and Facebook to Protect Kids
*
#Historic multistate agreement also delivers more than $125 million to Oregon
For years, Meta built Instagram and Facebook to keep kids scrolling and knew what that was doing to their mental health, while telling parents and the public something different. Today, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that is changing, with a landmark settlement that requires ... Show Full Article SALEM, Oregon, Aug. 26 -- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Dan Rayfield Announces Landmark Settlement Forcing Meta to Redesign Instagram and Facebook to Protect Kids * #Historic multistate agreement also delivers more than $125 million to Oregon For years, Meta built Instagram and Facebook to keep kids scrolling and knew what that was doing to their mental health, while telling parents and the public something different. Today, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that is changing, with a landmark settlement that requiresMeta to rebuild core parts of Instagram and Facebook around the safety of young users.
"Kids are not a business model. For too long, Meta chose profit over the wellbeing of the young people using its platforms, and Oregon families paid the price," said Attorney General Rayfield. "This settlement changes that - not just with a record payment, but with real, independently verified changes to how these platforms work for kids."
Under the settlement (which includes 47 states, D.C. and American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and N. Mariana Islands,) Meta must put real, enforceable limits into the products themselves, including:
* A combined two-hour daily time limit across Instagram and Facebook for kids, with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes - in place for five years. If Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube adopt similar limits, the cap on each platform drops to 60 minutes for 10 years.
* "Nighttime blocks" cutting off kids' access from midnight to 6 a.m.
* No push notifications for kids on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year.
* Stronger, more effective age verification.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying and content promoting eating disorders, suicide, and self-harm.
* More user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on features like beauty filters and visible "like" counts, which have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
An independent auditor, along with the settling states, will regularly check both that Meta actually puts these changes in place and that they're working as intended.
The settlement also resolves claims that Meta unlawfully shared Facebook users' nonpublic information with third parties, including the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
These are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook and more significant and comprehensive than previously ordered by any court. And perhaps most importantly, this settlement represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
Financially, the agreement is one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in U.S. history, outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. States are guaranteed a combined $17.1 billion, with Oregon's share totaling more than $125 million over 10 years. A separate contingency payment of up to $5.7 billion becomes available if the states reach similar resolutions with other social media companies, which would bring Oregon an additional $54 million. Oregon will also receive more than $10.1 million from the related settlement of the Cambridge Analytica claims.
***
Original text here: https://www.doj.state.or.us/media-home/news-media-releases/ag-rayfield-announces-landmark-settlement-with-meta-to-protect-kids/
Attorney General Bonta Secures Transformative $17 Billion Settlement with Meta, Proposed Settlement Includes Fundamental Changes to Instagram and Facebook
SACRAMENTO, California, Aug. 26 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release:
* * *
Attorney General Bonta Secures Transformative $17 Billion Settlement with Meta, Proposed Settlement Includes Fundamental Changes to Instagram and Facebook
*
Meta must make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms -and will do it within months.
OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general today announced a proposed settlement, which remains subject to court approval through entry of a consent ... Show Full Article SACRAMENTO, California, Aug. 26 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Bonta Secures Transformative $17 Billion Settlement with Meta, Proposed Settlement Includes Fundamental Changes to Instagram and Facebook * Meta must make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms -and will do it within months. OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general today announced a proposed settlement, which remains subject to court approval through entry of a consentjudgment, resolving the Attorney General's lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta), alleging among other things, that the company designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that drive compulsive use by children and teens to their mental and physical detriment, all the while misleading users, their families, and the public regarding the existence and severity of these risks. Trial in this case began on August 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Today's settlement, subject to court approval, provides for strong injunctive terms designed to help protect children from the mental health harms associated with social media, including default daily time limits on social media and a block on overnight use that can only be lifted by a parent, enhanced parental supervision tools, robust age assurance measures to detect users under 18 and children under 13 that are on the platform, and the appointment of an independent auditor to oversee compliance. The proposed settlement also includes a monetary payment of up to $17 billion to the states over ten years -California alone will receive $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion if this settlement is approved by the court.
"Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families," said Attorney General Bonta. "Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms -and will do it within months. We are talking about time limits, stopping notifications during school, a block on the app during critical overnight hours, bans on plastic surgery filters, and so much more. Alongside a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues, I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram -right now, no more waiting."
TODAY'S SETTLEMENT
How a significant portion of the payment received by California will be spent will ultimately be decided by the Legislature and Governor, but in the proposed settlement it is earmarked for purposes related to the prevention or remediation of mental health or other harms to young Californians associated with social media use. The proposed settlement critically includes strong injunctive terms designed to help protect teens from the mental health harms associated with social media use, including bans and blocks on features known to be harmful, like:
* A default daily time limit of two hours for users under 18 that can only be lifted by a parent. If other social media platforms agree to similar terms, the daily time limit will drop to one hour.
* A default nighttime block between midnight and 6am for users under 18 that can only be lifted by a parent. If other social media platforms agree to similar terms, the nighttime block will expand to cover 10pm to 7am.
* Default blocks on notifications to users under 18 from 10pm to 7am and during the school day (8am to 3pm from August 15 to June 15.)
* An enhanced mechanism for teens to report potentially harmful content and a requirement that Meta respond to 90% of those reports within six hours.
* A ban on displaying numbers of likes or reactions to users under 18.
* A ban on cosmetic procedure image filters for users under 18.
* An option for users under 18 to have a non-personalized feed, meaning a feed that doesn't use an algorithm to target them with content aimed to keep them endlessly scrolling.
* A commitment from Meta to maintain, review, and improve existing teen content safety measures.
The company will also be required to maintain other potections. For example:
* Meta has agreed to maintain, review, and improve existing teen content safety measures and will create enhanced parent supervision tools.
* Meta will institute robust age assurance measures to detect users under 18, as well as measures to identify and remove kids under 13 from their platforms.
* Meta will bring on an independent auditor with expansive access to information and resources, regular reporting, and the right to communicate concerns to the Attorneys General.
* Finally, Meta will be subject to an injunction prohibiting it from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements around its safety features.
BACKGROUND
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, alleged Meta illegally collected and used the data of children under the age of 13 who used its platforms, made decisions in designing its platforms that drove excessive use and put young users at risk, and that it lied to users, their families, and the public about the safety of Facebook and Instagram. In doing so, it violated federal and state laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, California's False Advertising Law, and California's Unfair Competition Law.
In announcing this settlement, Attorney General Bonta is joined by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skirmetti, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. Also joining the settlement are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
***
Original text here: https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-secures-transformative-17-billion-settlement-meta
* * *
Attorney General Bonta Secures Transformative $17 Billion Settlement with Meta, Proposed Settlement Includes Fundamental Changes to Instagram and Facebook
*
Meta must make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms -and will do it within months.
OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general today announced a proposed settlement, which remains subject to court approval through entry of a consent ... Show Full Article SACRAMENTO, California, Aug. 26 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Bonta Secures Transformative $17 Billion Settlement with Meta, Proposed Settlement Includes Fundamental Changes to Instagram and Facebook * Meta must make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms -and will do it within months. OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general today announced a proposed settlement, which remains subject to court approval through entry of a consentjudgment, resolving the Attorney General's lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta), alleging among other things, that the company designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that drive compulsive use by children and teens to their mental and physical detriment, all the while misleading users, their families, and the public regarding the existence and severity of these risks. Trial in this case began on August 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Today's settlement, subject to court approval, provides for strong injunctive terms designed to help protect children from the mental health harms associated with social media, including default daily time limits on social media and a block on overnight use that can only be lifted by a parent, enhanced parental supervision tools, robust age assurance measures to detect users under 18 and children under 13 that are on the platform, and the appointment of an independent auditor to oversee compliance. The proposed settlement also includes a monetary payment of up to $17 billion to the states over ten years -California alone will receive $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion if this settlement is approved by the court.
"Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families," said Attorney General Bonta. "Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms -and will do it within months. We are talking about time limits, stopping notifications during school, a block on the app during critical overnight hours, bans on plastic surgery filters, and so much more. Alongside a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues, I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram -right now, no more waiting."
TODAY'S SETTLEMENT
How a significant portion of the payment received by California will be spent will ultimately be decided by the Legislature and Governor, but in the proposed settlement it is earmarked for purposes related to the prevention or remediation of mental health or other harms to young Californians associated with social media use. The proposed settlement critically includes strong injunctive terms designed to help protect teens from the mental health harms associated with social media use, including bans and blocks on features known to be harmful, like:
* A default daily time limit of two hours for users under 18 that can only be lifted by a parent. If other social media platforms agree to similar terms, the daily time limit will drop to one hour.
* A default nighttime block between midnight and 6am for users under 18 that can only be lifted by a parent. If other social media platforms agree to similar terms, the nighttime block will expand to cover 10pm to 7am.
* Default blocks on notifications to users under 18 from 10pm to 7am and during the school day (8am to 3pm from August 15 to June 15.)
* An enhanced mechanism for teens to report potentially harmful content and a requirement that Meta respond to 90% of those reports within six hours.
* A ban on displaying numbers of likes or reactions to users under 18.
* A ban on cosmetic procedure image filters for users under 18.
* An option for users under 18 to have a non-personalized feed, meaning a feed that doesn't use an algorithm to target them with content aimed to keep them endlessly scrolling.
* A commitment from Meta to maintain, review, and improve existing teen content safety measures.
The company will also be required to maintain other potections. For example:
* Meta has agreed to maintain, review, and improve existing teen content safety measures and will create enhanced parent supervision tools.
* Meta will institute robust age assurance measures to detect users under 18, as well as measures to identify and remove kids under 13 from their platforms.
* Meta will bring on an independent auditor with expansive access to information and resources, regular reporting, and the right to communicate concerns to the Attorneys General.
* Finally, Meta will be subject to an injunction prohibiting it from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements around its safety features.
BACKGROUND
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, alleged Meta illegally collected and used the data of children under the age of 13 who used its platforms, made decisions in designing its platforms that drove excessive use and put young users at risk, and that it lied to users, their families, and the public about the safety of Facebook and Instagram. In doing so, it violated federal and state laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, California's False Advertising Law, and California's Unfair Competition Law.
In announcing this settlement, Attorney General Bonta is joined by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skirmetti, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. Also joining the settlement are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
***
Original text here: https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-secures-transformative-17-billion-settlement-meta
AG Nessel Announces Landmark Settlement with Meta
LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 26 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release:
* * *
AG Nessel Announces Landmark Settlement with Meta
*
LANSING -Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a landmark multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. to implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook. In addition to the set of safety features, Michigan will receive at least $171 million under the agreement.
The settlement resolves claims by 47 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed ... Show Full Article LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 26 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: * * * AG Nessel Announces Landmark Settlement with Meta * LANSING -Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a landmark multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. to implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook. In addition to the set of safety features, Michigan will receive at least $171 million under the agreement. The settlement resolves claims by 47 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designedInstagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things. This settlement is a monumental victory for the protection of America's children and will fundamentally transform how the entire social media industry designs products for kids and teens.
"For too many years, social media platforms have traded our children's mental health for engagement on their apps," said Attorney General Nessel. "This historic settlement holds Meta accountable and puts critical, first-of-its-kind safeguards in place to protect Michigan kids, including daily screen breaks, nighttime access blocks, and the removal of harmful features like public like counts. Now, the responsibility to protect our youth cannot end here. It is my hope that this is a turning point for the entire social media industry to prioritize the safety and well-being of children over their bottom line."
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including:
* Hard cap daily time limits and "Productive Pauses" for children: for its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. These limits will 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.
* "Nighttime blocks" restricting children's access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
* Limited school-time access for children, eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the school year.
* Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
* Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible "like" counts, that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states.
The coalition recognizes these are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook and more significant and comprehensive than previously ordered by any court. The settlement also represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
The settlement also resolves the states' claims against Meta for its sharing of nonpublic information about Facebook users with third parties, like Cambridge Analytica, leading up to the 2016 election.
The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawai'i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the settlement.
Read the settlement (PDF).
***
Original text here: https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/08/26/ag-nessel-announces-landmark-settlement-with-meta
* * *
AG Nessel Announces Landmark Settlement with Meta
*
LANSING -Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a landmark multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. to implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook. In addition to the set of safety features, Michigan will receive at least $171 million under the agreement.
The settlement resolves claims by 47 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed ... Show Full Article LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 26 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: * * * AG Nessel Announces Landmark Settlement with Meta * LANSING -Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a landmark multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. to implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook. In addition to the set of safety features, Michigan will receive at least $171 million under the agreement. The settlement resolves claims by 47 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designedInstagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things. This settlement is a monumental victory for the protection of America's children and will fundamentally transform how the entire social media industry designs products for kids and teens.
"For too many years, social media platforms have traded our children's mental health for engagement on their apps," said Attorney General Nessel. "This historic settlement holds Meta accountable and puts critical, first-of-its-kind safeguards in place to protect Michigan kids, including daily screen breaks, nighttime access blocks, and the removal of harmful features like public like counts. Now, the responsibility to protect our youth cannot end here. It is my hope that this is a turning point for the entire social media industry to prioritize the safety and well-being of children over their bottom line."
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including:
* Hard cap daily time limits and "Productive Pauses" for children: for its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. These limits will 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.
* "Nighttime blocks" restricting children's access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
* Limited school-time access for children, eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the school year.
* Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
* Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible "like" counts, that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states.
The coalition recognizes these are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook and more significant and comprehensive than previously ordered by any court. The settlement also represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
The settlement also resolves the states' claims against Meta for its sharing of nonpublic information about Facebook users with third parties, like Cambridge Analytica, leading up to the 2016 election.
The attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawai'i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the settlement.
Read the settlement (PDF).
***
Original text here: https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/08/26/ag-nessel-announces-landmark-settlement-with-meta
AG Campbell Sues United States Postal Service Over Unlawful Attempt To Interfere With States' Vote-By-Mail Procedures
BOSTON, Massachusetts, Aug. 26 -- Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued the following news release:
* * *
AG Campbell Sues United States Postal Service Over Unlawful Attempt To Interfere With States' Vote-By-Mail Procedures
*
Boston -Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 25 states in filing a lawsuit against the United States Postal Service (USPS) challenging its new rule that purports to grant USPS the authority to regulate mail voting in elections.
Tens of millions of voters across the country rely on mail-in ballots, and the ... Show Full Article BOSTON, Massachusetts, Aug. 26 -- Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued the following news release: * * * AG Campbell Sues United States Postal Service Over Unlawful Attempt To Interfere With States' Vote-By-Mail Procedures * Boston -Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 25 states in filing a lawsuit against the United States Postal Service (USPS) challenging its new rule that purports to grant USPS the authority to regulate mail voting in elections. Tens of millions of voters across the country rely on mail-in ballots, and thecoalition argues USPS's rule will prevent states from effectively administering their mail voting programs, putting voters at risk of being disenfranchised.
"Mail-in voting is safe, secure, and relied on by millions of voters, including the President himself. States have the constitutional authority to administer elections, not the President or the Postal Service. We're asking the court to immediately block this unlawful rule and protect the integrity of mail-in voting and the more than one million eligible Massachusetts voters who rely on this system," said AG Campbell.
On March 31, President Trump issued an Executive Order attempting to establish a national list of eligible voters and directing the U.S. Postal Service to transmit mail ballots only to voters on the list. On August 21, USPS announced a new rule implementing the President's demands that require states to register every voter who is eligible to vote by mail with USPS and tasking USPS with compiling the registered voters into state-specific lists. The rule also establishes new design requirements for the mail-in ballot envelopes created by states, which states are required to meet and get approved by USPS. Under the rule, USPS will not deliver ballots to voters who do not appear on the USPS-generated lists and will not deliver ballots in envelopes that fail to comply with the rule's new standards.
AG Campbell and the coalition argue the rule inflicts significant, irreparable harm on states by imposing burdensome mail voting requirements that risk disenfranchising eligible voters. With the start of the general election season mere weeks away, states must bear the cost of redesigning their mail ballot envelopes and securing USPS review and approval before they can even register mail voters with USPS. Within a matter of weeks and without any additional resources, state election officials must also develop new systems to communicate mail voter lists to USPS to ensure that every eligible voter who is entitled to a mail ballot receives one. States must also create new guidance for election officials, train them on the new procedures, and educate the public about the changes prior to the upcoming election.
Even if states were to meet these enormous administrative and financial burdens, the rule could still result in eligible voters not receiving their ballots due to, for instance, administrative errors or flaws in the rushed and untested new procedures.
Over the past several decades, voting by mail has become more popular across the country. In the 2024 general election, 33.4% of Massachusetts voters cast their ballot by mail, totaling nearly 1.2 million people. Since the inception of vote-by-mail, Congress has never exercised its authority to limit it, and in fact, has only taken action to expand and protect mail voting for military and overseas voters. Congress has also never authorized USPS to monitor or control the transmission of mail ballots.
The coalition argues that USPS's rule violates the Constitution, which makes clear that states have the primary authority to administer elections, and upends successful, longstanding vote-by-mail procedures. The lawsuit argues the rule is inconsistent with USPS's governing statutes, ignores USPS's procedural requirements, violates the Privacy Act, and is inconsistent with federal voting rights law. The coalition asks the court to strike down the unlawful rule and issue a temporary restraining order preventing the rule from taking effect while the litigation proceeds.
This USPS rule is the latest attempt by President Trump to exert federal control over elections and seize states' constitutional authority to administer elections. In April, AG Campbell co-led a coalition of 24 states in suing the Trump Administration to block its unlawful Executive Order that prompted the creation of USPS's rule.
Joining AG Campbell in filing this lawsuit, which she co-led with the attorneys general of California, Nevada, and Washington, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
* Office of the Attorney General
The Attorney General is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
***
Original text here: https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-campbell-sues-united-states-postal-service-over-unlawful-attempt-to-interfere-with-states-vote-by-mail-procedures
* * *
AG Campbell Sues United States Postal Service Over Unlawful Attempt To Interfere With States' Vote-By-Mail Procedures
*
Boston -Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 25 states in filing a lawsuit against the United States Postal Service (USPS) challenging its new rule that purports to grant USPS the authority to regulate mail voting in elections.
Tens of millions of voters across the country rely on mail-in ballots, and the ... Show Full Article BOSTON, Massachusetts, Aug. 26 -- Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued the following news release: * * * AG Campbell Sues United States Postal Service Over Unlawful Attempt To Interfere With States' Vote-By-Mail Procedures * Boston -Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 25 states in filing a lawsuit against the United States Postal Service (USPS) challenging its new rule that purports to grant USPS the authority to regulate mail voting in elections. Tens of millions of voters across the country rely on mail-in ballots, and thecoalition argues USPS's rule will prevent states from effectively administering their mail voting programs, putting voters at risk of being disenfranchised.
"Mail-in voting is safe, secure, and relied on by millions of voters, including the President himself. States have the constitutional authority to administer elections, not the President or the Postal Service. We're asking the court to immediately block this unlawful rule and protect the integrity of mail-in voting and the more than one million eligible Massachusetts voters who rely on this system," said AG Campbell.
On March 31, President Trump issued an Executive Order attempting to establish a national list of eligible voters and directing the U.S. Postal Service to transmit mail ballots only to voters on the list. On August 21, USPS announced a new rule implementing the President's demands that require states to register every voter who is eligible to vote by mail with USPS and tasking USPS with compiling the registered voters into state-specific lists. The rule also establishes new design requirements for the mail-in ballot envelopes created by states, which states are required to meet and get approved by USPS. Under the rule, USPS will not deliver ballots to voters who do not appear on the USPS-generated lists and will not deliver ballots in envelopes that fail to comply with the rule's new standards.
AG Campbell and the coalition argue the rule inflicts significant, irreparable harm on states by imposing burdensome mail voting requirements that risk disenfranchising eligible voters. With the start of the general election season mere weeks away, states must bear the cost of redesigning their mail ballot envelopes and securing USPS review and approval before they can even register mail voters with USPS. Within a matter of weeks and without any additional resources, state election officials must also develop new systems to communicate mail voter lists to USPS to ensure that every eligible voter who is entitled to a mail ballot receives one. States must also create new guidance for election officials, train them on the new procedures, and educate the public about the changes prior to the upcoming election.
Even if states were to meet these enormous administrative and financial burdens, the rule could still result in eligible voters not receiving their ballots due to, for instance, administrative errors or flaws in the rushed and untested new procedures.
Over the past several decades, voting by mail has become more popular across the country. In the 2024 general election, 33.4% of Massachusetts voters cast their ballot by mail, totaling nearly 1.2 million people. Since the inception of vote-by-mail, Congress has never exercised its authority to limit it, and in fact, has only taken action to expand and protect mail voting for military and overseas voters. Congress has also never authorized USPS to monitor or control the transmission of mail ballots.
The coalition argues that USPS's rule violates the Constitution, which makes clear that states have the primary authority to administer elections, and upends successful, longstanding vote-by-mail procedures. The lawsuit argues the rule is inconsistent with USPS's governing statutes, ignores USPS's procedural requirements, violates the Privacy Act, and is inconsistent with federal voting rights law. The coalition asks the court to strike down the unlawful rule and issue a temporary restraining order preventing the rule from taking effect while the litigation proceeds.
This USPS rule is the latest attempt by President Trump to exert federal control over elections and seize states' constitutional authority to administer elections. In April, AG Campbell co-led a coalition of 24 states in suing the Trump Administration to block its unlawful Executive Order that prompted the creation of USPS's rule.
Joining AG Campbell in filing this lawsuit, which she co-led with the attorneys general of California, Nevada, and Washington, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
* Office of the Attorney General
The Attorney General is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
***
Original text here: https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-campbell-sues-united-states-postal-service-over-unlawful-attempt-to-interfere-with-states-vote-by-mail-procedures
AG Brown announces largest Big Tech settlement in history
OLYMPIA, Washington, Aug. 26 -- Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown issued the following news release:
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AG Brown announces largest Big Tech settlement in history
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Meta to pay up to $17 billion and implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced today a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., to end litigation alleging the company knowingly failed to protect children on Facebook and Instagram.
Subject to court approval, this is the largest state consumer protection settlement ... Show Full Article OLYMPIA, Washington, Aug. 26 -- Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown issued the following news release: * * * AG Brown announces largest Big Tech settlement in history * Meta to pay up to $17 billion and implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced today a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., to end litigation alleging the company knowingly failed to protect children on Facebook and Instagram. Subject to court approval, this is the largest state consumer protection settlementin history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
The agreement resolves claims by 46 other states and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed Facebook and Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, illegally collected preteen users' data without parental permission, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things. In addition to the payment, Meta must implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook.
This settlement is a monumental victory for the protection of Washington children and is the first step in fundamentally transforming how the social media industry designs products for kids and teens. Under the settlement, Washington will receive $237 million guaranteed, and up to nearly $339 million over the next 10 years. The additional funding is contingent on the states working with other social media companies to come to similar agreements.
"Let me say to the young people of Washington state: This agreement shows that your health and safety is more important than Meta's profits," Brown said. "Ever since taking office, I've been fighting to protect Washington children online. Now, through the hard work of state attorneys general across the country, including our own consumer protection team, we've delivered a transformative settlement that will help break compulsive screen use and allow kids across our state to live healthier lives, with more time for sleep, learning, and building social skills."
For two years, Brown pushed for a state law to prohibit addictive social media feeds for kids. It didn't pass. Today's settlement secures changes that are similar, and in some ways stronger, to the ones Brown has pushed for at the state level. These include a requirement to protect teens' sleep by disabling their ability to scroll through content or receive notifications late at night. Meta must also block notifications during school hours. Under the settlement, teens will have the option to have their feed displayed in reverse chronological order rather than targeted via an algorithmic feed. And the settlement requires other changes beyond those addressed in Brown's proposed legislation, such as daily time limits for teen use, stronger technology to prevent underage users from creating accounts, and more control for parents who opt to supervise their teen's accounts.
Brown acknowledged that this problem extends well beyond one company and credited Meta for being the first major platform to reach a comprehensive resolution on youth safety.
The settlement directs the funds to the Attorney General's Office (AGO), which will use a portion to pay for attorney costs and to fund continued enforcement of consumer protection laws, as well as for programs that address the mental health impacts of youth social media use.
Settlement highlights
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including:
* Hard cap daily time limits and "Productive Pauses" for children: for its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. These 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.
* "Nighttime blocks" restricting children's access from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.
* Eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year.
* Robust age-assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
* Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on social comparison features, including certain beauty filters and visible "like" counts, that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
* Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states.
These are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook, more significant and comprehensive than any changes previously ordered by any court. Perhaps most importantly, this settlement represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
Litigation overview
Beginning in 2021, nearly every attorney general in the country cooperated to investigate the social media industry for designing and promoting platforms to children and teens despite known harms.
After a bipartisan, nationwide investigation found that Meta designed Instagram's features to addict children while internally documenting the resulting mental health harms and failing to warn parents, attorneys general across the country sued Meta individually or as part of a consolidated federal lawsuit. This settlement resolves those cases and claims by the other settling states and territories. The settlement also resolves the states' claims against Meta for its sharing of nonpublic information about Facebook users with third parties, like Cambridge Analytica, leading up to the 2016 election. Washington will receive an additional $10.2 million as part of the Cambridge Analytica resolution.
In addition to Brown, the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the settlement.
Read the settlement agreement.
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Original text here: https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-brown-announces-largest-big-tech-settlement-history
* * *
AG Brown announces largest Big Tech settlement in history
*
Meta to pay up to $17 billion and implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced today a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., to end litigation alleging the company knowingly failed to protect children on Facebook and Instagram.
Subject to court approval, this is the largest state consumer protection settlement ... Show Full Article OLYMPIA, Washington, Aug. 26 -- Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown issued the following news release: * * * AG Brown announces largest Big Tech settlement in history * Meta to pay up to $17 billion and implement sweeping child-safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced today a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., to end litigation alleging the company knowingly failed to protect children on Facebook and Instagram. Subject to court approval, this is the largest state consumer protection settlementin history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
The agreement resolves claims by 46 other states and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands that the company designed Facebook and Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms, illegally collected preteen users' data without parental permission, and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other things. In addition to the payment, Meta must implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children on Instagram and Facebook.
This settlement is a monumental victory for the protection of Washington children and is the first step in fundamentally transforming how the social media industry designs products for kids and teens. Under the settlement, Washington will receive $237 million guaranteed, and up to nearly $339 million over the next 10 years. The additional funding is contingent on the states working with other social media companies to come to similar agreements.
"Let me say to the young people of Washington state: This agreement shows that your health and safety is more important than Meta's profits," Brown said. "Ever since taking office, I've been fighting to protect Washington children online. Now, through the hard work of state attorneys general across the country, including our own consumer protection team, we've delivered a transformative settlement that will help break compulsive screen use and allow kids across our state to live healthier lives, with more time for sleep, learning, and building social skills."
For two years, Brown pushed for a state law to prohibit addictive social media feeds for kids. It didn't pass. Today's settlement secures changes that are similar, and in some ways stronger, to the ones Brown has pushed for at the state level. These include a requirement to protect teens' sleep by disabling their ability to scroll through content or receive notifications late at night. Meta must also block notifications during school hours. Under the settlement, teens will have the option to have their feed displayed in reverse chronological order rather than targeted via an algorithmic feed. And the settlement requires other changes beyond those addressed in Brown's proposed legislation, such as daily time limits for teen use, stronger technology to prevent underage users from creating accounts, and more control for parents who opt to supervise their teen's accounts.
Brown acknowledged that this problem extends well beyond one company and credited Meta for being the first major platform to reach a comprehensive resolution on youth safety.
The settlement directs the funds to the Attorney General's Office (AGO), which will use a portion to pay for attorney costs and to fund continued enforcement of consumer protection laws, as well as for programs that address the mental health impacts of youth social media use.
Settlement highlights
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including:
* Hard cap daily time limits and "Productive Pauses" for children: for its two platforms, Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. These 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.
* "Nighttime blocks" restricting children's access from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.
* Eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year.
* Robust age-assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
* Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
* Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
* Limits on social comparison features, including certain beauty filters and visible "like" counts, that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.
* Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states.
These are groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook, more significant and comprehensive than any changes previously ordered by any court. Perhaps most importantly, this settlement represents a down payment toward an industry-wide social media experience that allows kids to connect in a healthy way.
Litigation overview
Beginning in 2021, nearly every attorney general in the country cooperated to investigate the social media industry for designing and promoting platforms to children and teens despite known harms.
After a bipartisan, nationwide investigation found that Meta designed Instagram's features to addict children while internally documenting the resulting mental health harms and failing to warn parents, attorneys general across the country sued Meta individually or as part of a consolidated federal lawsuit. This settlement resolves those cases and claims by the other settling states and territories. The settlement also resolves the states' claims against Meta for its sharing of nonpublic information about Facebook users with third parties, like Cambridge Analytica, leading up to the 2016 election. Washington will receive an additional $10.2 million as part of the Cambridge Analytica resolution.
In addition to Brown, the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the settlement.
Read the settlement agreement.
***
Original text here: https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-brown-announces-largest-big-tech-settlement-history
