South Carolina will receive nearly $247 million as part of a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms Inc. over allegations involving the safety of children and teens on Instagram and Facebook.
Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the settlement Wednesday, calling it one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in U.S. history outside the tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
The agreement involves 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. It resolves allegations that Meta designed Instagram with addictive features, exposed young users to mental health risks and misled the public about the safety of its platforms.
Under the settlement, Meta must implement new safety measures for children using Instagram and Facebook. The requirements include combined daily usage limits, mandatory breaks from continuous use, overnight access restrictions and reduced access during school hours.
Meta must also strengthen age verification, parental controls and protections involving bullying, eating disorders, suicide and self-harm content. The agreement limits certain social-comparison features, including beauty filters and visible like counts.
An independent auditor and the participating states will regularly evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the new safeguards.
The settlement also resolves claims involving Meta’s sharing of nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, prior to the 2016 election.
The nationwide investigation into Meta and other social media companies began in 2021 and involved attorneys general from across the country.
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Patrick Byrne lives in Tega Cay with his wife and two daughters. After 25 years working for a Big 4 bank, he retired to pursue his passion for writing. Additional articles and content can be found on his blog (reverian1776.blogspot.com) and freethepeople.org.
Patrick can be reach via email at [email protected]
