Meta settlement: Wisconsin gets piece of $17B multistate resolution
Meta settlement: WI gets part of $17B multistate resolution
Wisconsin will receive up to $313 million as part of a multistate settlement in a landmark teen social media addiction case in which Meta agreed to pay nearly $17 billion and add child-safety measures to Facebook and Instagram.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin will receive up to $313 million as part of a multistate settlement in a landmark teen social media addiction case in which Meta agreed to pay nearly $17 billion and add child-safety measures to Facebook and Instagram.
How much will Wisconsin receive?
The backstory:
Wisconsin is set to get $219 million from the Meta settlement. Separate agreements with other social media companies, like TikTok or YouTube, could increase that total to $313 million.
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According to the settlement agreement, at minimum, 50% of the money would go toward teen social media addiction prevention – like crisis intervention services, after-school programs and digital literacy counselors. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said that allocation will be the "vast majority."
"This resolution provides for several changes that prioritize kids’ well-being over Meta’s profits – as it should have been all along," Kaul said in a statement. "This is a monumental step in changing the role of social media in kids’ lives for the better."
Meta settlement; what Wisconsin will gain, officials field questions
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul answered questions from reporters after a multistate settlement with Meta was reached. He talked about the settlement, what Wisconsin stands to gain from it, and what happens next.
The Wisconsin DOJ said the multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. is the largest state consumer protection settlement involving a single company in history, outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
Kari McGaughey, executive director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Racine County, said she wants to see that money be used proactively.
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"Teens are really isolated and they live behind screens and that's their new reality," she said. "That funding needs to be preventative. We need to put a lot of money into prevention, starting kids young."
Restrictions on Instagram and Facebook for people under 18 will also be put in place as a part of this settlement. That includes a daily two-hour limit, better age verification and modes that limit use and push notifications during nighttime and school.
"People are not going to do what they're told – we're humans, so I think that control and limit on screen time is going to be very helpful," said McGaughey.
Multistate Meta settlement
The backstory:
KTVU-TV in Oakland, where the trial played out, reported Meta could have ended up paying as much as $1.4 trillion if the trial had continued. It resolves claims from 47 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The monetary portion of the settlement is a fraction of the company’s 2025 revenue of $201 billion, according to KTVU-TV. The settlement also means that CEO Mark Zuckerberg will not take the stand before a jury.
The settlement will be paid in installments over the next 10 years. Most of the social media restrictions will happen within six months.
Meta agrees to settle social media addiction case for up to $16.8B
Meta has agreed to pay nearly $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial that's been playing out in Oakland over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, court records show.
What they're saying:
In a statement, California Attorney Rob Bonta and a coalition of 51 other attorneys general, called the settlement "transformative," and highlighted that it will include "fundamental changes" to Instagram and Facebook, which must take place within months.
Meta also issued a statement, saying that the company wants to "ensure teens benefit from this new industry standard, but we cannot do it alone." The company also called on TikTok and YouTube to put the same measures in place.
"All platforms should empower parents and support teens in these ways because we know that when teens are restricted on one app, they simply move to another," Meta said. "For meaningful progress to happen, we urge our peers to join us."
Editor's note: This story was updated with a clarification and additional information about the settlement.
The Source: Details about Wisconsin's portion of the settlement is from the state Department of Justice. KTVU-TV contributed with details from court filings and statements from Meta.