Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced a $17.1 billion settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. at the State Capitol on Wednesday morning.
Meta must implement a series of safety measures, including hard caps on daily time limits for children and enhancements to the age-verification process on Facebook and Instagram.
This is the largest state consumer protection settlement in history outside of the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s, according to the attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office said the agreement resolves claims by 47 states and four U.S. territories that the company built addictive Instagram features, knowingly harmed young users’ mental health, and misled the public about safety.
Hilgers’ office says the victory will transform how the entire social media industry designs products for kids and teens. Under the settlement, Nebraska will receive up to $201,092,032.56.
“We got into this fight to protect kids, and this settlement is a historic step in that direction. This agreement provides meaningful, real, and durable changes that will make a big difference in the lives of kids and their parents,” Hilgers said.
The settlement also resolves claims that Meta shared private Facebook data with third parties like Cambridge Analytica before the 2016 election. Nebraska will receive $5,146,813.80.