Professors Weigh in on Meta's $17 Billion Settlement

3 lessons from the tobacco settlement on how states should use money from Meta

Former Colorado tobacco coalition director shares 3 lessons from the 1998 tobacco settlement as a blueprint to protect youth and fund prevention efforts.

Meta paid $17 billion for exploiting children — and made $130 billion doing it

This year, we’ve witnessed a tidal wave of positive movement to protect children online with the avalanche of Big Tech legal cases, and Meta is facing some of the most significant consequences. Now Congress has the opportunity to turn that momentum into lasting, industrywide standards. Meta’s $17 billion settlement with more than 47 state attorneys […]

What the settlement left out: Meta can still collect data from kids - Stuff South Africa

In August 2026, Meta agreed to one of the largest consumer protection settlements in American history. The settlement resolves claims from 47 states alleging that Meta intentionally designed its Facebook and Instagram platforms to be addictive to young users and harmful to youth mental health. As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to pay up to US$17.1 [...]

Professors weigh in on Meta's $17 billion settlement

Meta reached a $17 billion settlement with dozens of U.S. states to address claims regarding the harmful effects of Facebook and Instagram on young users while implementing new safety policies for minors.

Bird Announces Iowa is First State in Meta Settlement to Create Consumer Restitution Fund

Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today how her office will distribute the recent $126 million settlement from Meta. Per terms of the settlement, half (approximately $68 million) must be used to address harms at issue in the lawsuit. This includes $25 million which will be returned to Iowans hurt by Meta’s practices aimed at children. The settlement comes after Attorney General Bird sued Meta in April […]

Meta settlement may not change social media habits, UNO professor says

Meta’s multibillion-dollar settlement could bring new safeguards, but UNO business communications professor Amanda VonGoodrich says changing social media habits may prove more difficult.