Ohio to receive more than $319 million under Meta settlement requiring new child protections
Ohio is expected to receive more than $319 million under a multistate settlement with Meta that will require new restrictions on how children and teenagers use Facebook and Instagram.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced the agreement Wednesday as part of a settlement involving nearly every state and several U.S. territories. The $17.1 billion agreement remains subject to court approval.
The settlement resolves claims that Meta designed features intended to keep young users engaged on its platforms, knowingly exposed children and teenagers to mental health harms, and misled the public about the safety of its products. States also alleged that Meta improperly collected data from children under 13.
“With this historic settlement, Meta agrees to establish meaningful protections for young users,” Wilson said in a release. “Digital platforms that cater to children have a duty to shield impressionable minds from the risks of unchecked exposure to social media.”
Under the agreement, children using Facebook and Instagram would be limited to a combined two hours per day. Meta must also introduce mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again after users reach 60 and 90 minutes.
Children would be blocked from accessing the platforms between midnight and 6 a.m., while push notifications would be disabled between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays during the school year. Meta must also strengthen age-verification measures and parental controls and place additional restrictions on content involving bullying, eating disorders, suicide and self-harm.
The agreement would also restrict beauty filters, visible like counts and other features linked to social comparison among young users. An independent auditor and participating states will regularly assess whether Meta is implementing the required changes and whether they are effective.
The settlement stems from a nationwide investigation launched in 2021 into allegations that social media companies promoted their platforms to children despite known risks. Attorneys general later sued Meta, alleging the company designed Instagram features to encourage compulsive use among children while failing to adequately disclose potential harms.
Meta has denied wrongdoing.
The settlement includes 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Ohio is expected to receive more than $319 million over the next decade.
The agreement comes as Ohio officials have separately moved to increase state oversight of children’s social media use.
As Ohio.News previously reported, a federal appeals court in June cleared the way for Ohio to enforce its Social Media Parental Notification Act, which requires certain social media companies to obtain verifiable parental consent before allowing children younger than 16 to create accounts.
The Sixth Circuit ruling reversed a lower court decision that had blocked the law following a challenge from NetChoice, a technology industry group whose members include Meta.
Wilson praised that decision at the time, arguing parents should have greater control over their children’s online activity.
“This ruling is a win for Ohio families,” Wilson said following the June decision. “The court agreed that parents–not social media companies–should get a say in what kids see online.”
The Meta settlement would impose additional restrictions directly on Facebook and Instagram beyond Ohio’s parental-consent requirement.
Meta said Wednesday the agreement builds on changes it has already made for teenage users and called on other major social media companies to adopt similar protections.
The company will initially face a combined two-hour daily limit for young users across Facebook and Instagram for five years. If Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube agree to comparable restrictions, the agreement calls for Meta’s limit to fall to one hour per platform for 10 years.
The settlement must still receive court approval before taking effect.
