NJ to Receive $525M Under Landmark $17 Billion Meta Settlement
A landmark settlement will force Facebook and Instagram to make sweeping safety changes for younger users and bring New Jersey at least $525 million, prosecutors said.
New Jersey and dozens of states sued Meta in 2023, alleging it intentionally designed addictive features targeting children and teens while misleading the public about platform safety.
On Wednesday, an agreement worth up to $17.1 billion between Meta and 47 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories was announced. Florida has rejected it, saying it doesn’t go far enough. The settlement requires court approval.
New Jersey will receive at least $525 million from Meta under the deal, and could potentially receive more than $752 million, the attorney general’s office said.
The agreement requires Meta to implement:
* A daily time limit of two hours of combined Facebook and Instagram use, with pauses after 15, 60 and 90 minutes, for five years. If TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat adopt comparable terms, the limit drops to one hour per platform for 10 years.
* Access blocked from midnight to 6 a.m., plus limited access and push notifications from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on school days.
* Stronger age verification, protections against bullying, eating-disorder, suicide and self-harm content, improved parental controls, restrictions on beauty filters and visible like counts, and independent audits.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill called it a victory for New Jersey families, saying Big Tech is finally being held accountable and the state will receive more than $500 million to continue the fight.
Meta called teen safety an “absolute imperative” and urged TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar measures. It said about $18 billion will go toward youth safety and other state priorities over 10 years. States will receive about $12.7 billion, with $5.3 billion contingent on TikTok and YouTube adopting the terms.
New Jersey also resolved claims over Meta sharing nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, before the 2016 election. Meta will pay more than $460 million, with New Jersey receiving more than $20 million.
Meta reported $60.8 billion in second-quarter revenue, up 28% year over year.
