Earlier this month, North Carolina received $45.17 million from Meta in their first payment since a landmark consumer protection settlement was reached in August, Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced.
The settlement was reached after North Carolina and 32 other states jointly sued Meta in 2023, alleging the tech giant violated consumer protection laws by designing Instagram and Facebook to addict children.
Meta agreed to pay $17.1 billion to the states — including between $451 and $645 million to North Carolina. The remaining money will be paid over nine installments, every Jan. 15 from 2027 to 2035.
The North Carolina General Assembly must enact legislation in order to allocate the funds. Jackson has advocated for the money to be used for after-school and summer school programs, crisis helplines for children, and school health personnel.
“Part of our deal was making sure that these first payments would reach us quickly. Children were the ones harmed by Meta’s actions, and this money should be used to help them,” Jackson said.
In addition to the funds, Meta has agreed to implement comprehensive measures to keep children under 13 off its platforms, add default settings that better protect teens, and give parents more control of their teens’ accounts. Teens will begin to see changes on their accounts within a few months.
