Crime & Law

Meta Agrees to $17B Settlement With Illinois, Dozens of Other States Over Social Media Addiction Claims

Meta agreed to pay out more than $17 billion and must implement significant safety features to protect children on Instagram and Facebook as part of a new settlement with Illinois and dozens of other states announced Wednesday.

That settlement ends a landmark trial over teen social media addiction amid claims that Meta designed its social media platforms with addictive features and knowingly exposed young users to serious mental health harms.

Under the $17.1 billion settlement — which is subject to court approval — Illinois will receive up to nearly $768 million.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who filed suit along with 46 other states, called the agreement a “monumental victory” for online safety he said will affect “an entire generation of young people.”

“After decades of putting profits before the health and wellness of children, this landmark settlement requires Meta to put our children’s safety and mental health at the forefront,” Raoul said in a statement. “It is imperative that all social media apps protect our children, and I will continue working with my colleagues toward that end.”

Raoul said his office played an “integral role” in getting this case to court, preparing it for trial and negotiating the new settlement.

The lawsuit accused Meta of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms and intentionally misleading the public about their safety. The case also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.

The trial kicked off last week in Oakland, California, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers overseeing the proceedings. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, began his testimony late Tuesday and defended Meta’s record and progress on child safety and privacy.

According to Raoul’s office, the settlement includes “groundbreaking” changes to Instagram and Facebook that are more significant than those previously ordered by any court. Those include daily time limits, nighttime blocks that restrict children’s feeds, new age verification measures, stronger parental controls and the ability to pause teens’ access to so-called “beauty filters” on photos.

An independent auditor will assess how Meta is implementing the safety features and how effective they are.

“This settlement sends a message that we will not hesitate to take action to protect children online,” Raoul said. “I am deeply proud of and grateful to my team for the role my office played in helping lead this case to resolution.”

Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”

“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.”

The company urged rivals TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safety measures.

The $17 billion settlement is a fraction of Meta’s 2025 revenue of $201 billion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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