Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador says the state will receive between $89.2 million and $127.7 million as part of a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.
The settlement stems from a nationwide investigation that began in 2021 into whether social media companies designed and promoted their platforms to children and teens despite known harms.
According to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, a bipartisan investigation found that Meta designed Instagram features to addict children while internally documenting resulting mental health harms and failing to warn parents. Fifty-five attorneys general eventually sued Meta individually or as part of a consolidated federal lawsuit.
“Protecting children in Idaho is one of the most critical responsibilities of my office,” Labrador said in a statement. “Intentionally engineering any product to addict children is unconscionable.”
The settlement was reached in the middle of a trial that started Aug. 18 and was expected to last several weeks.
In addition to the financial payment, Meta will be required to implement a number of safety measures for children using Instagram and Facebook.
Those measures include:
- A combined two-hour daily time limit on Instagram and Facebook for children, with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes. The 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 restrictions blocking children's access from midnight to 6 a.m.
- Limited school-time access, including eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year.
- Stronger age-verification measures.
- Stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders and content related to suicide and self-harm.
- Stronger parental controls.
- Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible “like” counts.
An independent auditor and the states involved in the settlement will regularly assess the implementation and effectiveness of the new safety features.
