Meta reaches $17 billion settlement with states in landmark trial over teen social media addiction

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, state attorneys general announced Wednesday.

The settlement resolves a pivotal legal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to hook young people’s attention.

“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health," Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said. The settlement "will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the money would be paid out over 10 years, with the state getting at least $1.5 billion if the settlement is approved by the court. New Jersey expects to receive at least $525 million. Massachusetts said it was in line for at least $366 million. Virginia's share is worth $353 million.

Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”

“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard."

The company urged rivals TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safety measures.

The $17 billion settlement is a fraction of Meta's 2025 revenue of $201 billion.

The agreement cuts short an ongoing court case involving California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, which were among 29 states that sued Meta in 2023. CEO Mark Zuckerberg was among those expected to take the stand before a jury in federal court in California.

The lawsuit accused Meta of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms and hiding them from the public. The case also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.

The trial kicked off last week in Oakland, California, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers overseeing the proceedings. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, began his testimony late Tuesday and defended Meta’s record and progress on child safety and privacy.

The cases in other states had been expected to go to trial later. In addition, nine attorneys general filed lawsuits in their respective states.

Under the proposed settlement, Meta agreed to adopt a series of safety features, including a “hard cap” on daily time limits and pauses for children using Instagram and Facebook.

It will eliminate push notifications during weekday school hours and bring in “robust” age-assurance measures and “age-appropriate” content controls to prevent bullying and harmful material about eating disorders and self-harm.

There will be stronger and more user-friendly parental controls and limits on social comparison features such as “like” counts.

An independent auditor will assess how Meta is implementing the safety features and how effective they are.

Meta put the settlement at $18 billion, a figure that apparently includes a large award for Texas.

The money is to be paid out annually over 10 years, to fund youth online safety initiatives. However, the company said 30% of that amount — about $5.3 billion — will only be released to states if rivals YouTube and TikTok meet two conditions: implementing similar safety features, including a one-hour daily time limit, a nighttime block and age-assurance measures; and paying the same amount, split between the two companies.

Neither YouTube owner Google nor TikTok responded immediately to requests for comments.

The federal lawsuit was the result of an investigation led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. It followed newspaper reports, first by The Wall Street Journal in 2021, that found that the company knew about the harm Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues.

Meta has since added a host of safety features to Instagram, including separate accounts for teenagers with stronger protections around messaging and privacy, along with content restrictions.

But child safety experts, along with some former Meta employees, have long contended that the features are little more than window dressing.

Arturo Béjar, a former Meta engineering director, said during his testimony last week that Meta consistently prioritized profits over safety in designing its products, focusing on how often and for how long people used them, even if it was detrimental to their mental well-being.

“If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,” he said.

While the four states in the Oakland trial did not officially say how much they had been seeking, Meta said in a court filing that financial penalties in the case could amount to as much as $1.4 trillion — a figure legal experts said was unlikely, if not impossible.

Chan reported from London. Associated Press Writer Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.

Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser discusses a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

California Attorney General Rob Bonta discusses a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. At right is New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser, right, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, left, join New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport as she discusses a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

FILE - Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, arrives in court to testify in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children, in Los Angeles, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Lennon Torres of Heat Initiative holds a banner with names of young people who advocates say died as a result of social media outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday awarded Elon Musk Ukraine's Order of Freedom, one of its highest state honors, for his “outstanding personal merits” in protecting human life and freedom and strengthening ties with the United States.

Musk, the founder of the aerospace company SpaceX, has become one of the most influential, and contentious, private sector figures in Ukraine’s war effort. His decision to provide access to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet network, was a lifeline for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and remains critically important.

Starlink has become deeply embedded in Ukraine’s military operations, with commanders and soldiers relying on satellite connectivity to communicate and coordinate operations.

Musk’s decision-making could shape Ukraine’s future military capabilities. Starlink doesn't currently operate over Russian territory, but Zelenskyy wants Musk to reconsider the policy. That would allow Ukrainian forces to maintain satellite connectivity for longer-range drone attacks targeting Russia's military and economic infrastructure.

Musk made no immediate comment on the award, which was announced by presidential decree.

The technology has been integrated into Ukraine’s drone operations, helping operators maintain links with drones and navigate them over longer distances. Ukraine's access to Starlink is the main reason for the early successes of its middle-strike drone campaign, which caught Russian forces off guard and undermined their logistics lines earlier this year.

The campaign has put pressure on Russian logistics in Crimea, giving Ukrainian forces a degree of battlefield momentum that Kyiv has not enjoyed since its successful counteroffensives around Kherson and Kharkiv in late 2022.

Musk has allowed the Ukrainians to use Starlink inside their own territory, including in Russian-occupied regions, but has restricted use of the satellite system inside Russia.

Earlier this year, SpaceX blocked unauthorized Starlink terminals being used by Russian forces in occupied territory, strengthening Ukraine’s position.

Musk is both a crucial partner for Kyiv and a potential source of vulnerability. As Starlink has become embedded in its wartime communications, Musk and SpaceX have significant influence over how the technology can be used, making it important for Kyiv to preserve a positive relationship.

Zelenskyy has sought U.S. help in persuading Musk to permit Ukraine to expand its ability to use Starlink beyond its borders. Musk has said he believes that would be a significant and dangerous escalation, Zelenskyy told reporters last week.

A reported mix-up over whether SpaceX had approved Ukraine’s use of Starlink for operations inside Russia contributed to tensions between Zelenskyy and then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was the government's main interlocutor with Musk.

Fedorov was dismissed in July as part of a broader government shake-up.

Zelenskyy said inaccurate information from the Defense Ministry that SpaceX had approved the bid had contributed to an awkward exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the Ukrainian president of deceiving him. He did not say when that occurred.

That contributed to “some of the steps” taken against Fedorov, Zelenskyy told reporters last week, without explicitly accusing him of deliberately providing false information.

Federov's dismissal also highlights the political element of Musk’s role in Ukraine’s war effort.

FILE - Elon Musk departs after a welcome ceremony with President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, May 14, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Horodetskyi House during their bilateral meeting in Kyiv, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)