North Carolina to receive up to $645 million in Meta child-safety settlement
RALEIGH — North Carolina is slated to receive up to $645 million from Meta under a multistate settlement that also requires child-safety changes to Facebook and Instagram, Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced Wednesday.
The North Carolina Department of Justice said the agreement includes a guaranteed minimum of $451 million for the state, with payments scheduled through 2035. Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion to the states overall, according to the department.
The settlement stems from litigation North Carolina joined in 2023 under then-Attorney General Josh Stein. The states alleged Meta violated consumer protection laws by designing Facebook and Instagram to increase the time children spent on the platforms while downplaying risks to young users. The states also alleged violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act involving collection of information from children under 13 without required parental consent.
Under the settlement, Meta must make several changes for users ages 13 to 17 once the agreement receives federal court approval. The required changes include default daily time limits, nighttime access restrictions, school-hour notification limits, periodic scrolling pauses and default settings that hide like counts. Meta also must take additional steps to verify users’ ages and remove children under 13 from the platforms.
The Department of Justice said an independent auditor will review Meta’s compliance and publish findings.
Jackson urged the General Assembly to use the settlement money for after-school and summer school programs, crisis helplines for children and school health personnel. Stein also said he looks forward to working with lawmakers on using the funds to improve teen mental health.
The settlement has a direct state budget and policy component because lawmakers will have to decide how North Carolina spends the proceeds. The agreement also creates a long-term compliance structure for one of the largest technology companies operating in the state’s consumer marketplace.
Editor’s note:
This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
