Meta settlement: Wisconsin gets up to $313M in multistate resolution
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin will receive up to $313 million from Meta as part of a multistate settlement in a landmark teen social media addiction case in which the company agreed to pay nearly $17 billion and add child-safety measures to Facebook and Instagram.
How much will Wisconsin receive?
The backstory:
Wisconsin will receive up to $313 million from Meta as part of the multi-billion-dollar settlement, the state Department of Justice said Wednesday.
"This resolution provides for several changes that prioritize kids’ well-being over Meta’s profits – as it should have been all along," Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. "This is a monumental step in changing the role of social media in kids’ lives for the better."
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.
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.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
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.
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."
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.