By Thelma Grimes | The Denver Gazette
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram will pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Colorado, part of an $18 billion multistate deal, in which the company also agreed to adopt extensive child-safety changes to its operations.
The settlement ended a trial over teen social media addiction and settled claims filed by nearly every state. It resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in allegedly undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to hook young people’s attention.
If approved by the court, the deal will stop an avalanche of litigation by states against Meta, although the company still faces lawsuits from individuals and school districts throughout the U.S. For the states, the settlement delivers money for mental health programs for kids, including after-school or summer activities and digital literacy counselors.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Wednesday called the deal a landmark consumer-protection settlement. Colorado will receive $615 million over nine years.
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