Utah Secures $12.2 Billion Settlement With Meta Over Child Safety Practices
Sweeping Child-Safety Reforms on Instagram and Facebook with Independent Oversight
SALT LAKE CITY (Aug. 26, 2026)—Utah today announced a landmark $12.2 billion settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. that will force sweeping changes to how Instagram and Facebook are built for children and teens once issued by the court.
It ranks among the largest consumer protection settlements in U.S. history—rivaled only by the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s—and marks the most far-reaching action any government has taken to make social media safer for young people.
The agreement, subject to court approval, resolves claims brought by Utah, 46 other states, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Those claims alleged that Meta designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental-health harms, and misled the public about the safety of its platforms.
The settlement guarantees states $12.2 billion. States could receive up to $17.1 billion if Snap, TikTok, and YouTube agree to substantially similar injunctive terms as Meta. Utah is expected to receive $212 million over the next ten years. The state could receive up to $301 million if industry leaders similarly settle.
“More than three years ago, I said that without strong action, social media companies would not make the changes necessary to protect our children,” said Gov. Spencer Cox. “Today’s historic settlement proves both the urgency of that warning and what determined state action can accomplish. These unprecedented reforms will help protect millions of children, and they make clear that Meta could have chosen to implement these changes and protect children all along. We will hold Meta to every promise it has made, and we will continue fighting to ensure every platform puts the well-being of children ahead of profit.”
“For the first time, Meta must put kids’ safety ahead of its business model. After negotiations with Meta, we secured a settlement that delivers consequential and enforceable changes,” said Attorney General Derek Brown. “This gives Utah families a leg up in protecting their kids from harmful content and compulsive habits with Instagram and Facebook. We will continue to use all legal tools available to us to protect kids online.”
The settlement requires Meta to implement a series of safety features on Instagram and Facebook, including:
- Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
- A combined two-hour daily time limit across Instagram and Facebook, with mandatory “Productive Pause” breaks after 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous use, in effect for five years, and dropping to 60 minutes per platform for 10 years if Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube adopt comparable terms.
- “Nighttime blocks” restricting children’s access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- No push notifications to children on school-year weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and late at night.
- An option for a non-personalized algorithmic feed to users under 18.
- Age-appropriate content controls, with stronger safeguards against bullying and content promoting eating disorders, suicide, and self-harm.
- Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
- Limits on social-comparison features linked to poor youth mental health, including beauty filters and visible “like” counts.
- Both the implementation and efficacy of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states.
While these are the most comprehensive youth-safety changes ever secured from Instagram and Facebook, state leaders urge parents to proceed with caution. Utah advises parents to delay introducing social media as long as possible, take advantage of new safety features under parental supervision, and continue to have open dialogue with their children about the risks of excessive social media use.
“Today’s landmark settlement holds Meta accountable for the incalculable harm their platforms have inflicted on our kids. It’s a crucial step in ensuring that children’s safety and mental well-being are prioritized over profit,” said Margaret Woolley Busse, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Commerce. “We will vigilantly enforce these reforms to create a safer online environment for Utah’s teens and kids.”
On October 24, 2023, the Utah Department of Commerce’s Division of Consumer Protection (Consumer Protection) filed its complaint against Meta. Consumer Protection Director Katherine Hass led that effort, along with team members Chantel Tonks and Kelsie Bowler. The Division of Consumer Protection was represented by the Office of the Utah Attorney General, with thanks to Public Protection Deputy Attorney General Douglas Crapo and Assistant Attorneys General Carina Wells, Blake Erickson, Daniel Ruskin, Alexandra Butler, Michael Gadd, and Peishen Zhou.
The settlement also resolves the states’ claims regarding Meta’s sharing of Facebook users’ nonpublic information with third parties, such as Cambridge Analytica, ahead of the 2016 election.
In addition to Utah Attorney General Derek Brown on behalf of the Utah Department of Commerce, the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined the settlement.
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