The Fairfax Girl Team 
Virginia is set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars as part of a major multistate settlement with Meta that will also require new safety measures for children using Instagram and Facebook. On August 26th, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced a $17 billion settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., with at least $353 million guaranteed for Virginia. The agreement stems from claims that Meta designed Instagram with addictive features, exposed young users to mental health risks, + misled the public about the safety of its platforms. Read on for what Northern Virginia families need to know about the settlement + the changes coming to Instagram and Facebook.
Photo credit: Martin Kraft
What the Meta Settlement Means for Virginia
The settlement involves Virginia, 47 other states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, + the Northern Mariana Islands. According to the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, it is among the largest state consumer protection settlements outside of the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
Virginia is guaranteed to receive $353 million under the proposed agreement, which still requires approval from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
An additional portion of the settlement addresses allegations related to Meta sharing nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, ahead of the 2016 election. Virginia will receive another $11 million through that portion of the agreement.
The Attorney General’s Office has not yet detailed exactly how Virginia’s settlement money will be allocated, but Jones said the funding could be used to support initiatives aimed at addressing and preventing harms related to young people’s use of social media.
Changes Coming to Instagram + Facebook
The settlement is about more than money. Meta will also be required to implement a number of new safeguards for children using Instagram and Facebook.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the proposed changes include a combined two-hour daily time limit for children across Instagram + Facebook. The platforms would also introduce mandatory “Productive Pauses” after periods of continuous use, including after 15 minutes, as well as additional pauses after 60 + 90 minutes.
Other requirements include:
- Restrictions on children’s access to the platforms between midnight + 6AM.
- No push notifications for children between 8AM + 3PM on weekdays during the school year.
- Stronger age-verification measures.
- Additional protections against bullying, eating disorder-related content, + content involving suicide or self-harm.
- More accessible parental controls.
- Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters + visible like counts.
An independent auditor, along with the participating states, will regularly evaluate whether the new measures are being implemented + how effectively they are working.
How the Case Started
The settlement follows a years-long investigation into the effects of social media platforms on children + teenagers.
Beginning in 2021, attorneys general across the country investigated whether social media companies knowingly designed or promoted products to young users despite potential harms. According to Virginia’s Attorney General’s Office, the investigation concluded that Meta had designed Instagram features to encourage continued use by children while internally documenting concerns about effects on young people’s mental health. The attorneys general later filed lawsuits against Meta individually or as part of a consolidated federal case.
The newly announced settlement resolves those claims for the participating states + territories while introducing requirements that could substantially change how younger users interact with Instagram + Facebook. As of August 27th, the agreement remains subject to federal court approval.
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