CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Attorney General JB McCuskey announced Wednesday that Meta Platforms, Inc. will pay up to $17.1 billion and implement sweeping child‑safety reforms under a landmark multistate settlement — the largest consumer protection agreement ever reached with a technology company.
The settlement, pending court approval, resolves claims brought by 47 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Attorneys general alleged that Meta designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to mental‑health harms, and misled the public about the safety of its platforms. West Virginia’s share of the settlement could reach $114.6 million.
“This settlement isn’t just about the historic payout; it’s about the real changes Meta has now pledged to make to protect our kids online,” McCuskey said. “Meta knew the dangers it was exposing our children to. That betrayal of trust demanded accountability, and today we’ve delivered it.”
McCuskey praised the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general who pursued the case, adding that the issue is personal to him as a father. “As long as companies continue to target our kids as customers, we will fight to ensure their products are safe and secure,” he said.
Sweeping Child‑Safety Reforms
Under the agreement, Meta must adopt a series of unprecedented safety measures across Instagram and Facebook, including:
- Daily time limits: A combined two‑hour cap for minors, with mandatory “Productive Pauses” at 15, 60, and 90 minutes.
- Nighttime restrictions: Blocking access from midnight to 6 a.m.
- School‑time protections: No push notifications on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Stronger age verification and age‑appropriate content controls.
- Limits on social comparison tools, including beauty filters and visible “like” counts.
- Enhanced parental controls and safeguards against bullying, eating‑disorder content, and self‑harm content.
An independent auditor will regularly assess Meta’s compliance and the effectiveness of the new protections.
Governor Morrisey Responds
Governor Patrick Morrisey, who helped launch the original bipartisan investigation in 2023 while serving as Attorney General, called the settlement “a monumental victory for families across West Virginia.”
“Meta knew the immense physical and psychological toll its platforms were taking on young people, yet chose profit over the mental health and safety of our children,” Morrisey said. He commended McCuskey and his team for “carrying this critical suit across the finish line.”
Background
The multistate investigation began in 2021 and found that Meta internally documented mental‑health harms to young users while continuing to promote addictive features such as endless scrolling, push notifications, and beauty filters. The settlement also resolves claims related to Meta’s sharing of nonpublic Facebook user data with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica.
Attorneys general from all but three states joined the settlement, marking one of the broadest bipartisan consumer‑protection actions in U.S. history.
