TL;DR - On August 26, 2026, Meta announced a proposed settlement with a bipartisan coalition of more than 50 state attorneys general. The deal ended a state child-safety trial in its second week. - Reported value is up to $17.1 billion, with about $12.2 billion expected over 10 years and the rest depending on conditions. Other reports cite figures of about $16.7 billion to $18 billion depending on how components are counted. - Meta must apply a default two-hour daily limit for under-18 users, lifted only by a parent, and a midnight to 6 a.m. overnight block. - Meta denied the allegations and admitted no wrongdoing. - The settlement resolves state claims. It does not resolve individual personal injury or school district cases.
What the states alleged
The attorneys general alleged that Meta used addictive product features to attract and keep young users, misrepresented or played down the risks, and violated state consumer protection laws and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
Terms reported
Reporting on the agreement describes payments of roughly $12.2 billion over 10 years, rising to as much as $17.1 billion if certain conditions are met, including comparable safety obligations and monetary resolutions involving other platforms. The settlement also requires product changes for teen users: a default daily time limit of two hours that only a parent can lift, mandatory overnight blocks from midnight to 6 a.m., and stronger age verification to keep minors from harmful content. Reports indicate the agreement remains subject to court approval.
What it means for individual claims
This agreement does not settle the personal injury lawsuits in federal MDL No. 3047 (Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Northern District of California) or in California's JCCP 5255 (Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl). As of September 1, 2026, 3,208 cases were pending in the federal MDL. In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable in the first bellwether trial and awarded $6 million in total damages, and the first federal school district bellwether settled before trial.
For the full history, see our social media addiction case guide.
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