Meta Reaches $17B Settlement With 47 States, Plus Texas $1.05B Side Deal, in Teen Harms Trial

Meta finalized a $17B mid-trial settlement with 47 state AGs over youth mental-health harms, paid annually over 10 years, and layers on a default 2-hour daily cap and midnight-6am block for under-18 users plus age-assurance measures. Texas negotiated a separate $1.05B side deal that could reach $1.335B if TikTok and YouTube adopt matching teen safety changes — larger than every state's cut except California's $2.2B. New Mexico and Florida declined to join the multistate deal.