Meta Reaches Settlement in Child Safety Lawsuit

California Attorney General Rob Bonta addressed the media following the initial proceedings in the Meta trial. The lawsuit involves US states accusing Meta of contributing to social media addiction, particularly among youth. The trial took place at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Oakland, California, on August 18, 2026. A proposed settlement has been reached between Meta and the states involved, aiming to resolve this significant federal child safety lawsuit.

States including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey have been part of a consortium alleging that Meta deliberately designed platforms like Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for young users. These states claim Meta was aware of the threats posed by these platforms but concealed the information from the public. Furthermore, Meta is accused of breaching the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting data from users under 13 years of age, despite company policy disallowing users below this age.

The settlement would see Meta pay $17 billion in penalties to the states over a decade. It requires Meta to implement major changes to make its platforms safer for minors. Bonta announced, “Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families.” These changes include a two-hour usage limit for users under 18, a nighttime block between midnight and 6am, adjustable only by parental intervention, and default notification blocks during night and school hours.

Meta must also eliminate cosmetic surgery filters for minors and offer a “non-personalized feed” option avoiding algorithm-targeted content. Additionally, Meta will appoint an independent auditor to oversee compliance, with direct communication access to attorneys general.

The settlement was reached midway through the second week of the trial, which began last week in Oakland’s federal court. Testimony has been significant from insiders, including whistleblower Arturo Béjar, whose experience highlighted Meta’s focus on user growth and the higher exposure rates of young users to harmful content than publicly acknowledged. Instagram head Adam Mosseri was questioned about the effectiveness of features like “Take a Break,” aimed at limiting app usage by teens.

The settlement awaits approval from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. This case joins a wave of lawsuits, likened to tobacco litigation of the 1990s, which drove substantial industry changes and shifted public perceptions. The settlement resolves claims from 51 lawsuits consolidated against Meta across the country.