Meta to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion in Landmark Child Safety Settlement With US States

Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, agreed on Wednesday, 4 Shahrivar 1405 (August 26, 2026), to pay up to $17.1 billion to a coalition of state attorneys general led by New York. According to the New York Attorney General's office, the 51 state coalition settlement is the largest ever reached by that office with a single company, ending a case dating to 2023 over Meta's allegedly addictive platform design for children and teens. Under the deal, Meta must cap teen daily use at two hours, silence notifications during school hours and at night, block overnight access, and strengthen age verification tools. According to the Associated Press, the settlement covers 48 states, Washington D.C. and some U.S. territories, excluding only New Mexico, which had already won its own trial against Meta, and Florida. AP put the total figure, including a separate roughly $1 billion settlement Meta reached with Texas, at about $18 billion. Meta shares rose about 1.5 percent after the announcement.